


Kiss the fool

by Eyho (Angel1622)



Series: Eyho's college track and field ZoSan AU [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Idiots in Love, M/M, NaNoWriMo 2020, Slow Burn, The Author Regrets Nothing, Track and Field AU, When I say the burn is slow I mean it folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28599543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel1622/pseuds/Eyho
Summary: When transferring to a new track and field club in search for a coach who'd help him achieve his dream of beating Dracule Mihawk, Zoro doesn't expect to come across a certaincoach with laughter so ridiculous it's absurda team captain who's the literal definition of a bottomless pitlove of his college lifecook with an eyebrow so abstract he briefly wonders if he got the adress right.(aka the NaNoWriMo slow burn Zosan fic I've been meaning to post for a while. Can't promise the perfect prose, but some fun and two specific idiots falling for one another?Totally.)
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: Eyho's college track and field ZoSan AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142000
Comments: 32
Kudos: 84





	1. A decision to regret (?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!
> 
> This fic was all written in a brief span of 28 days. I hope at least one of you guys is going to enjoy it, because there's a brief hundred thousand words coming your way ~~and there's nothing you can do to stop me~~.
> 
> (also, this thing is posted hence to my lovely cat, who ran over my keyboard while drafting this. Felt like there was respective credit to be given.)

Zoro looked in awe at the stadium in front of him.

The famous “Thousand Sunny” - Not only the name of an athletic club known for its coach, but also the stadium itself. And, starting from today, his new home. A sigh escaped him as he put his hand on the door handle and pushed the gate, stepping in. The smell of tartan tickled his nose.

 _Roronoa Zoro_. Nineteen years old, a transfer to the Grand Line Academy, born in East prefecture. Favourite event - 1500m. No medals on the national arena, one junior prefecture champion title. Now transferred to train in the famous athletics club. Other interests - the art of swordsmanship, working-out, sleeping.

At first sight, the Thousand Sunny didn’t look any different from the tracks Zoro had run on - except that every second track was yellow instead of the classic reddish hue. There was something else he could feel about it, though.

The tartan itself as well as the building next to it had to be old, yet nothing gave it away. Someone had to pour their heart and soul into restoring the object to make it look like new despite the flow of time. It’s not like Zoro paid much attention to such things, but it was a nice touch nonetheless.

“Hey, I know you!” A voice called him and the teen turned his head in its direction. A thin silhouette rushed towards him, a wide grin plastered to its face, eyes shining. “You’re Zoro, aren’t you?”

He definitely knew that guy. His event was long jump, and one thing Zoro knew - the kid was _insanely_ good at it. _Luffy_. Monkey D. Luffy. They surely had met a couple of times in the past, probably on various athletic meetings, but the teen couldn’t quite recall them ever having a proper conversation.

“Hey, Luffy.” He greeted the raven-haired boy. “I had no clue you were training here.” 

Which was absolutely true - Zoro’s sense of direction went on par with his memory to the whole who-trained-in-which-club thing (even though he’d rather pierce one of his swords through his own chest than admit it). As long as someone was good, it didn’t really matter where they were from.

“Oh, is that so? You should pay more attention!” Luffy chuckled. _Like he was the one to talk_. “So, what brings you to Thousand Sunny?”

“I transferred to Grand Line this summer.” Zoro said, noticing a spark lightening up in the boy’s eyes. “And decided to sign up here.”

“For real?!” Luffy’s jaw dropped, and before Zoro knew it, he was being dragged through the stadium. “That’s so cool! You _have_ to tell the others, I bet they’ll be surprised to see _you_ here!”

Zoro cocked an eyebrow, unsure how exactly he should understand those words. Meaning, _why the hell was Luffy talking like everyone here knew him_. Of course, some more interested in the athletics’ arena could’ve heard of him, he too knew a handful of names, but connecting them with actual faces was a whole different story.

“Hey, everyone!” Luffy shouted, waving his hand. “We’ve got a new crewmate!”

Zoro’s eyes went straight to the group of people standing near the finish line. He even recognised some of them. There was a long-nosed guy - whose name Zoro didn’t really remember but he knew the event was 800m - and a _huge_ person standing next to him - Franky, Zoro remembered him from the javelin throw. 

A niche event, but definitely not to be underestimated.

“That’s Usopp and Franky.” Luffy explained, noticing where Zoro was looking. “Next to them is Nami, she’s a coach assistant and knows _everything_ about money!” He chuckled.

“Uh-huh.” Zoro nodded bluntly, his attention already having left Luffy’s words behind. Next to the group, there was an insanely tall, bony man.

Zoro knew straight away - it was coach Brook. One of the prefecture’s living legends. The man known for raising many champions, not only on prefecture’s but also national level. The type of person one felt respect for the moment they passed them by.

The teen simply stared at the man in awe, seeing whole decades of coaching and raising young athletes run through the bony silhouette as the man leaned over a tall, blonde-haired teen - long and slim as a shadow, with perfectly blue eyes shining.

“Sanji.” The name left Zoro’s mouth before he knew it. There was no mistaking it. The talented steeplechaser he had the chance to see in action a couple of times. And the absolutely most elegant running style he’d ever seen.

“Oh, you know him!” Luffy exclaimed, not even asking. “Yeah, that’s him. And Brook, our coach, is standing right next to him. Man, they’re both _so cool_!”

Zoro almost chuckled at the raven-haired boy’s display of enthusiasm. Did he ever think about how cool _he_ was? There were no real competitors for Luffy when it came to long jump, wherever he showed up, he crushed his opponents. Zoro would never have expected for the guy to be such a cheerful person.

“Okay, everyone!” Luffy announced once again, waving his hands to gather everyone’s attention. “Look who I’ve found! He says he’ll be joining our club!”

“For real?” The long-nosed… Usopp asked. “You’re Zoro, right? I’ve seen you run in the prefecture’s junior championships this spring!”

“Yeah, I was there.” Zoro nodded slightly, not knowing what to say. 

Even he had the right to feel a little intimidated in a group of people who seemed, for some reason, to know _precisely_ who he was.

“I’m Usopp.” The guy shook Zoro’s hand, a little hesitantly. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Right, I remember you, too!” Exclaimed the giant. “You were superrr cool back then, bro! I’m Franky by the way.” Zoro was a little surprised by the strength of that guy’s handshake. _Right, javelin throw._

“I’m Nami.” Said the red-haired girl, walking closer to Zoro and crossing her arms slightly. “Nice to meet you.”

“Zoro.” He replied, nodding at her subtly. At first sight, he didn’t really like the girl.

There wasn’t really a reason why that came up to his mind. She seemed confident and maybe a little skeptical of him… _oh_ . He’d already known a woman - _girl_ , just like Nami. No wonder he didn’t like being reminded. _Kuina._

“Hey, you brute!” He heard a voice behind his back and turned to see the person talking to him. “That’s no way to greet a lady, you know?”

Zoro frowned slightly, looking at the blonde walking towards him, with a slight frown and a challenging gaze piercing right through his forehead. The teen quickly ran through his memory in search of what he knew about the guy.

 _Sanji._ Nineteen years old, a student of Grand Line Academy, living in East prefecture. Favorite event - 2000m steeplechase. Additional info - legs so long it should be illegal, an annoying, curly brow. A couple prefecture’s junior golds in steeplechase, so probably a cocky bastard. Also, running so flawlessly Zoro couldn’t tear his eyes from him as he did.

“Nami, dear, are you all right?” Sanji asked, frowning subtly and passing Zoro as though he was thin air. “Did that guy do anything to you?”

“I’m fine, Sanji.” The redhead replied, a note of annoyance ringing in her voice. “He just introduced himself. You should also greet him, you know?”

“Of course, right after making sure you’re alright… hey, you!” Zoro’s brow twitched as he turned away to face the guy. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sanji.”

“Zoro.” He replied shortly, nodding at the man with slightly raised eyebrows. He could’ve _sworn_ he’d heard a foreign accent slip through that guy’s lips as he said the words out loud.

“Now, I’m pretty sure you’re all fascinated about Mister Roronoa…” Zoro didn’t have to turn to know that the coach was standing right behind him. “...but I’m afraid I’ll have to borrow him for a moment, yohoho.”

 _Yohoho._ The sound echoed in his head, and it took him several seconds to realise the guy was actually _laughing._ What the hell was wrong with those people? What was he thinking when transferring here in the first place?

“Nice to meet you, coach.” He said, turning around and facing Brook.

The man was old, but when they were so close, he seemed even taller than from distance, and Zoro wondered if the man ate anything at all. Even though it was said that every great person had their quirk, a brief thought that the coach had just a few _too many_ crossed the teen’s mind.

“Yohoho, the pleasure’s all mine!” Brook chuckled, looking up at Luffy and the others. “I’m taking Mister Roronoa to the office. You all know what to do, right? Now, if you please.” He nodded slightly at Zoro, turning away and leading him inside the building.

* * *

“Do I really have to read all of this?” Zoro sighed, looking at the sheets of paper laid in front of him.

“It’s crucial for you to know the club’s statute before joining it.” The raven-haired woman, who Brok reffered to as _Miss Nico_ , smiled slightly as their eyes met. “It would be highly irresponsible of both of us if you signed it without knowing its content.”

 _Another weird woman_. Zoro could feel her eyes on him as he skimmed through the first page, an unexplainable feeling of uneasiness rising inside him. It felt more as though he was being interrogated rather than asked to sign some necessary paperwork. 

“Alright, alright.” He said, turning the page over. “Can we just assume you’re not going to take a loan on my name and get this over with?”

The only thing that answered him was a slight chuckle.

* * *

“Zoro, you’re back!” He heard Luffy’s enthusiastic voice as soon as he left the building.

“Yeah… more or less.” The swordsman shook his head slightly, trying to shake off the strange vibe he felt after meeting that woman. There was something about her… he couldn’t quite place it. Like an unnamed threat, the warning that he really _shouldn’t_ cross her.

“So you’ve met Robin?” The raven-haired boy grinned. “She’s _super_ cool, right?”

“I guess…” Zoro raised his eyebrows. _Ah, miss Nico._ For a moment, he tried to connect the woman’s face with the phrase _super cool_. He wondered what on earth made Luffy classify things. 

“Everyone left after finishing their practices, but Sanji and I decided to stay a little longer and do some stretching.” Explained Luffy. “We figured it would be nice not to leave you alone.”

“Thanks.” Muttered Zoro, nodding slightly, his eyes wandering to the blonde, with a towel thrown over his shoulder and a water bottle in one hand, walking closer to them.

“Done already?” Sanji asked, taking a sip and nodding at Luffy. “Any plans for now?”

“Well, Usopp’s throwing a party at his place in the afternoon.” The raven-haired said, looking up and crossing his arms. “But for now, I don’t think I’ve got anything to do.”

“And you?” Zoro almost flinched, realising the blonde was talking to him. “Oh, right, before you answer - is your hair dyed or it does it naturally come in such a dumb color?”

It wasn’t the question itself that made him take a moment before answering. It was the straightforwardness and bluntness in the blonde’s voice. Usually, people gave him short looks and whispered to one another when they saw his unusual, green hair. That guy though, he didn’t even try to dance around the issue.

“I’m free for the rest of the day.” Zoro replied eventually, smirking viciously. “And what about your eyebrow? Do you style it or does it naturally come in such a dumb shape?”

“Now, now!” Luffy interrupted them, chuckling when the blonde’s eyes widened subtly. “You guys are really funny together! How about we show Zoro around Thousand Sunny, Sanji?”

“Sure.” The blonde shot Zoro a challenging look. “It would be a pity if he showed up on next practice not knowing how to find the track, wouldn’t it?”

Zoro’s brow twitched at the mocking comment, an annoyed smile spreading on his face. The blonde surely knew how to bite. And how to be annoying. A true master of his craft, which apparently was pissing the other teen off.

“Well, then, lead the way.” He said, raising his chin and pointing his head at Sanji. “Ladies first.”

“You know, Luffy? I think the guy doesn’t really need our help.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, he’s got it covered.” Sanji smirked, passing by Zoro and stopping a few steps further. “I’m just kidding. Come on, _mosshead_.”

* * *

Zoro wasn’t even sure why he was there in the first place.

He was a total stranger to those people. Well, maybe excluding Luffy, because the raven-haired boy already treated him like a childhood friend, but Zoro quickly figured it was more or less how he treated everyone.

Yet, there he was - at a house party, surrounded by people he only met earlier today, treating him like they’ve known each other for a long time, or simply not giving a damn about the fact that he was a total stranger to them.

Well, it was all Luffy’s fault. The raven-haired boy simply showed up at Zoro’s door a few hours after walking him home, together with Sanji, and basically dragged him all the way to Usopp’s house. 

And, what was probably even more concerning, no one besides Zoro himself found it at least _a little_ strange.

Technically, it wasn’t like he felt uncomfortable around those people. Quite the opposite, to be honest - in none of the clubs he’d ever trained in had he felt such an atmosphere. It didn’t feel like they were athletes competing with one another - more like a huge bunch of friends simply hanging around and having fun.

Still, he knew _nothing_ about them, safe for some useless athletic facts like who-trained-what.

“Hey, Zoro!” He felt a hand on his shoulder, fighting his instincts from kendo practices to grab it and throw the person standing behind him over his shoulder. “Don’t be so stiff! We didn’t quite plan that, but it’s your welcome party!”

“Yeah, thanks Usopp.” He replied, taking the plastic cup the long-nose handed him and taking a sip out of it. 

_Cheap booze,_ he figured. No wonder, a student’s life rarely allowed people to get more sophisticated stuff, but Zoro didn’t mind it at all. He enjoyed the feeling of warmth running through his veins when he chugged down a cup or two. In extreme cases, a bottle or two.

“Hey, look! Sanji’s finally here!” He heard Luffy shout and turned his head in the direction of the door, his eyes resting on the blonde.

It was the first time Zoro had seen the guy in anything other than running clothes.

Truth be known, in the colorful, weirdly-patterned short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts he was wearing, the blonde looked _intriguing_ . There was something quirky about him that Zoro just failed to place. Like, Sanji already looked nice in his sports uniform, with long and muscled legs, but the weird shirt really brought up something the teen hadn’t noticed earlier. _The blonde’s eyes._

“Late as always, bro!” Franky shouted, chuckling and patting the blonde on the shoulder with a smirk. “Now we can get the party started for real!”

“Right!” Luffy threw his fists in the air. “Usopp, bring a bottle! We’re playing truth or dare!”

 _What?_ Zoro raised his eyebrows, taking another sip from his cup, practically emptying it. _Truth or dare_ was a game that kids played during school trips or sleepovers, he hadn’t even heard the name in years.

“Sanji, you’ve got the booze?” He noticed Nami walk closer to the blonde with a smug smile on her face.

“Of course, Nami, dear.” He said with a smile, showing her a paper bag he was holding and putting it on the table. 

The girl grinned widely, taking out two bottles and looking at them closely. Zoro narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t more cheap booze, as he expected. That was some strong liquor. Definitely _not_ the type common people could afford. How the hell did the cook get that?

“Alright, alright!” Announced Usopp, a plastic bottle in his hand. “Sit in a circle, people, we’re getting started! Everyone, empty your cups!”

“Come on, Zoro!” He felt Luffy tug at his sleeve, and hesitantly sat between him and Usopp, still not completely sure if they were really doing this.

“As I said, your welcoming party wasn’t really a part of today’s plan…” Said the long-nose in an apologetic tone. “And we do this every time someone joins us, you know, it’s kind of a tradition, so I asked Sanji to get some better stuff, but he was kind of busy with work today, so…”

“It’s okay, you really shouldn’t have.” Zoro assured him, slightly surprised by the sudden confession. He had a lot of questions, though. Why the hell would Sanji spend _his_ money on that liquor, and how the hell did he get money for it. Was his work so well-paid?

“Okay, Usopp, give the bottle to Zoro.” Said Nami. “The first spin goes to him!”

Zoro reluctantly took the bottle from the long-nose and spun it, watching it slowly stop right at goddamn Sanji. _Perfect,_ he thought ironically. Not only did he have no idea what to ask people he’d known only for a couple of hours, lady luck had to give him the blonde, too.

“So, Sanji…” Nami said with a soft voice. “Truth or dare?”

“...Truth.” Said the blonde, shooting Zoro a challenging look. 

“Huh.” The teen smirked, raising an eyebrow. “So, I asked you earlier, but is your eyebrow naturally so curly?”

“It is.” Sanji answered, seemingly with a neutral face, but Zoro noticed a shade of a smile running through his face as he took the bottle.

“Alright, Zoro!” Usopp said, handing him a cup, assumingly full of the liquor Sanji brought. “Now, take it and drink!”

“What?” Zoro asked, quite surprised by Usopp’s sudden action.

“You spun the bottle, so now you have to drink.” Explained Nami, narrowing her eyes slightly and smiling slyly. “The last person standing wins.”

“Oh, is that so?” He raised his eyebrows, unable to hold back a grin and chugging down half the cup he was given. “I like it. Bring it on!”

* * *

“...And that’s the story of how I, the Great Captain Usopp, conquered the East prefecture… and… I don’t feel too good…” The long-nose wobbled, his eyes half closed as he reached for the bottle, missing it and falling to the ground.

“I guess the game’s over.” Zoro heard Sanji sigh after a moment, as the blonde stood up, heading towards Nami and picking her up carefully.

“I thought we were playing until one person was left.” He retorted, crossing his arms.

“And you won, congratulations.” Said the dartbrow, carrying the unconscious girl and gently placing her on the couch, brushing a strand of hair covering his eyes. “It almost looked like you chugged down a whole bottle on your own.”

“As opposed to you.” Zoro frowned slightly. “I barely saw you take a sip.”

“I don’t enjoy drinking strong liquor.” Sanji shrugged, picking up a blanket and covering Nami with it. “This place needs cleaning up. Are you going to sit there or actually be of some help?”

Zoro reluctantly stood up, feeling a pleasant buzzing sound in his ears. He never really got drunk, even after strong alcohol, maybe safe for a few times in the past. It always made him feel a little bad to look at other people blacking out and feeling like a corpse the following day.

“Okay, so what do we start with?” He asked, stretching out and looking around.

“You pick up the cups.” Said Sanji, heading towards the windows and opening one. Fresh, chilly air slowly filled the room, making Zoro’s mind a lot clearer as he disposed of the plastic littering the floor.

“All right, you can close them.” He said once they disposed of all the empty vessels. “You know it’s technically fall now? Nights get cold in the latter half of September.”

“At least it’s possible to breathe.” The blonde took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll do it in a moment, but first we have to at least find a pillow for each of those dumbasses.”“What, you’re not going to carry them to a couch?” Zoro smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

“No problem, if you take care of Franky.” The blonde sent him a challenging look.

“You know what?” The other teen hummed slightly, as though considering the proposition. “Just close the goddamn windows. I’ll find the pillows.”

* * *

The cold air tickled Zoro in the ears when he stepped outside of Usopp’s place. He took out his phone and checked the time. The sun was going to go up soon. Good thing it was the beginning of the weekend, he couldn’t imagine Luffy and the others attending lectures in the morning.

“All right, we’re done.” Sanji let out a sigh, closing the door. “You’ll find your way back to your place or do you want me to walk you home?”

“I’m fine.” Zoro replied, walking past the gate, when realisation hit him. 

He had no goddamn idea how to get home.

Earlier that day, it was Luffy who guided him all the way through the maze of the streets, but now when there was no Luffy around, _and_ it was pitch black, Zoro didn’t recognise a goddamn thing. Not that Sanji needed to know how bad he was at finding his way.

_Fucking great._

“You’re sure?” He didn’t have to turn around to know the blonde cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t look so confident.”

“I can’t remember asking for your opinion.” Zoro snapped back, turning on his phone and looking for maps. _Shit._ The battery wasn’t going to last long enough. He was officially fucked.

“Well, it won’t hurt to help you find your way home.” Sanji sighed, walking past him and turning on his phone. “My shift starts later on Saturdays, so it’s fine.”

“Your shift?” Zoro raised an eyebrow. “You’re working on Saturdays, after a party?”

“Yeah.” The blonde put the phone in his pocket, instead reaching for a cigarette and lighting it up. “More or less.”

“And you smoke?”

“I’m starting to get the impression that it’s an interrogation rather than a walk home.” Sanji frowned slightly, taking a drag and blowing out smoke. “Yes, I smoke. Now, do you want to spend the rest of the night standing here like a pillar of salt or go home?”

* * *

“So, is your hair naturally green?”

“Excuse me?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden question.

“I asked, is your hair naturally green.” Sanji repeated with an annoyed tone. “is it really such a rare question for you?”

“Of course not.” _Yes._ Zoro crossed his arms, shooting the blonde a curious look. “And in case you wondered, it _is_ natural.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t wonder about it.” Retorted the blonde, blowing out a cloud of smoke. “But I didn’t want to ask you in front of the others in case you weren’t comfortable with it."

“If I weren’t comfortable with my hair, I’d dye it.” Zoro mimicked the man’s tone, surprised when Sanji smirked. “My turn. Are you and Nami together?”

“What?” For a moment, the blonde’s eyes widened and a curly eyebrow went up. “No. How did you even get the idea?”

“Let me think…” Zoro put a finger to his temple. “...maybe because you’re acting like an overprotective boyfriend?”

“I don’t…” Sanji’s mouth fell agape in shock for a moment before he shot Zoro an icy stare. “Two things, mosshead. First, Nami and I are _not_ a couple. Second, I’m not being overprotective. The sooner you get it, the better for your green ass.”

Zoro fought the urge to step back, completely surprised by the blonde’s sudden change of attitude. It was a sore spot, he could feel it. Although, in an unexpected place. He remained silent for a moment, not really knowing what to say.

“I’m sorry…” He started, but he was interrupted.

“No, it’s my fault.” Sanji sighed, taking the last drag of his cigarette before dumping it into a trash can. “Don’t mind it. Why did you transfer here? Because pf Brook?”

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded. “He’s a living legend. People in my town say you’re guaranteed to be a champion if you train with him.”

“People in your town are dumb.” The blond stated simply. “If it was as simple as having a good coach, everyone could be a champion.”

“You think it’s not for everyone?” Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Try to recall the spring prefecture championships.” Sanji sighed. “Your run. You were unstoppable, none of the guys who ran with you stood a chance.” It wasn’t exactly like that, but Zoro didn’t really want to correct the blond in that matter. “You think they didn’t try their best?”

“Of course they did.” He shrugged. “But that day, I was better.”

“I know you didn’t really pay attention to them.” The blonde shook his head. “If you did, you’d know the second guy was almost half a lap behind you. It’s not a question of _the day_. I also know why you didn’t care about them.”

“And that is?” Zoro asked, raising his chin up.

“It’s because you only wanted to beat Dracule’s national record.” Sanji stated, and Zoro’s eyes widened slightly. “It was obvious. From the start, you weren’t heading for the gold. You were only there for the record.”

“Your point being?” Zoro raised his eyebrows, his heart skipping a beat.

It wasn’t really common for people to guess so easily how empty the medal felt for him. Naturally, a gold was still a gold, but the teen couldn’t really say he was _satisfied_ with it. The dartbrow was the second person after Koshiro who’s ever confronted him about it. Even though they’ve only technically known one another for a couple of hours.

“You think Dracule was so good only because he had a good coach?” The blonde asked. “Think about it. No one, _no one_ from that club had ever been this big. They didn’t even have another champion. You think it was only his coach’s credit?”

“No…” Zoro said slowly. “But if Brook was his coach, he could be a worldwide competitor.”

It was the first time he heard Sanji laugh. It wasn’t a laughter of mockery he imagined, but a genuine expression of happiness. And for some reason - call it Zoro’s drunk ass - he really liked that sound.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” The blonde said, still smiling widely. “Too bad Brook wasn’t so famous back then.”

The rest of the walk was all a blur to Zoro. Maybe because they didn’t really talk much. He didn’t find the silence awkward at all, though. He never did. And Sanji didn’t seem like wanting to speak up, either.

Something else he _did_ … well, he had to be really fucking drunk, because the longer he stared at the blonde, the more he came to the conclusion he didn’t just look _intriguing._ In that colorful, patterned shirt, with slightly flushed cheeks and shining eyes, the blonde looked absolutely _gorgeous_.

Zoro fought the urge to punch himself into the gut for even putting the words _Sanji_ and _gorgeous_ together. He shouldn’t have drunk so much. Definitely.

“Hey, we’re here.” He spoke up eventually, noticing the dorm building was already close to them. 

As they stepped in front of the door, he fought the strong urge to yawn, turning his eyes to the sky. The horizon was already changing hue to a bluish shade of black, and he felt soaked with the cold hanging in the air.

“I know.” Sanji said, hiding his hands in the pockets of his pants and whistling quietly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I was the one who actually got us here.”

“Sure.” Zoro snorted, rolling his eyes. “So, good luck with your shift I guess?”

“Thanks.” Sanji nodded and threw his hands in the air, stretching out. “I’d better go. It’s damn late.”

Zoro couldn’t help but let his eyes trail over the cook’s body, and slide to his back when the blonde’s shirt went up. Then he noticed something. _A scar._

Long and nasty-looking, on the cook’s lower back. He only had a brief moment to take a look at it before Sanji let his hands fall by his sides, covering it with the tails of his shirt. A loud sigh escaped the blonde as he turned his eyes back to Zoro.

“Well then, mosshead.” He said, turning his head and locking their eyes together. “See you later.”

“Yeah.” The teen nodded bluntly.

He watched Sanji walk away slowly, questions ringing in his head. _Why did he react so coldly when asked about Nami? What happened to him to get that scar?_ What was it about the blonde that made him pay so much attention to the guy anyway?

He knew. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew well that now that they’ve met in person he was _head over heels_ for the blonde. Especially now, after he’d seen Sanji take care of everyone after the party, when he walked him home, when he was so close… 

_Fuck._ He needed a workout to clear his head. His wolf had been cut loose and he wasn’t thinking clearly. It sometimes happened after having too much alcohol, but he couldn’t forget about the fact that he was _there._ Brook was now his coach. And he had to spend every moment of his training focusing on beating Mihawk.

_Definitely not drinking so much and listening to his mind whispering how goddamn gorgeous the blonde was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe not too in-topic, but have you guys read the newest extra chapter that came out with chapter 1000? My mind's blown off.


	2. A new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro briefly wonders what the hell is the issue with classic literature.  
> Meanwhile, he ends up stuck in one flat with the shitty cook.

It was officially the first day for Zoro in the Grand Line Academy. It wasn’t really different from any other school he’d ever attended - truth be known, an old, scrappy university building with a swimming hall and a track next to it was  _ precisely  _ what one would have expected. The teen himself also imagined some sort of gym inside, but there was no guarantee.

It didn’t take him long to spot Luffy and Usopp in the entrance, talking vividly to one another and laughing. He slowly walked towards them, raising his hand in an unsure gesture of greeting. Like, he didn’t  _ really  _ know those guys. They partied together  _ once _ . 

Luffy, though, reacted just like he did the whole time - as though they were good, old friends.

“Zoro!” He exclaimed enthusiastically, throwing his hand into the air. “You’re finally here! I thought you were going to be late on your very first day, shishishi!”

“Luffy!” Usopp shushed him. “Mind your tongue for once! He’s probably already stressed out, don’t put any more pressure on him.”

“It’s alright.” Zoro shook his head.Transferring to another city wasn’t anything unusual, he didn’t really get the reason why those two guys were so hyped up for. 

People came and went by, schools changed, but it was just the way life was. Zoro’s thoughts wandered back to the times he was still living with Koshiro, his foster parent. 

They moved a couple of times when he was young, mostly to open a new dojo in a bigger city. Zoro took great pride in their little school getting more and more attention, but at the same time, he didn’t really make any friends. _ Safe for Kuina.  _ Which could be why he never really felt attached to people or places.

“Earth to Zoro, what’s your first class?” Usopp’s voice stopped his train of thoughts. He only noticed the hand waving in front of his eyes when the long-nose stopped talking to take a breath. “You know, we could show you around a little, there’s still time.”

“I’ll be fine.” Zoro ran a hand through his hair, reaching a hand to his pocket to find his phone. “I should have a screenshot of my lecture schedule somewhere…  _ oh fuck. _ ”

“What’s wrong?” Luffy cocked his head slightly, frowning. The other teen drew in a sharp breath, once again searching through his pocket, which turned out to be  _ fucking empty _ . At a time like that.

“I left my phone at home.” He admitted eventually, clenching his teeth. “I knew I forgot something.”

“Oh, so you’re lost.” Luffy summed up, grinning. “It’s not really a problem, you know? You can just ask Sanji, he’s also a second-year. If anyone knows where you should go, it’s probably him or Nami.”

“Thing is, they’re not here.” Usopp wondered, reaching for his phone. “I guess we’ll have to call one of them. I think Nami’s changed her number recently, though...”

“It’s  _ fine. _ ” Zoro said through grit teeth. “I don’t think we need to bother the dartbrow. I’ll find my way around. Besides, isn’t Franky also in his second year?”

“Zoro, you liar!” Luffy chuckled. “I know you’re lost! Just let us help.”

“Franky’s a senior this year.” Usopp explained, typing a number and putting his phone to his ear. “Don’t you worry Zoro, Usopp the Great already has things covered...”

“Can you just give me the phone?” Zoro asked, reaching a hand towards Usopp with a sigh. “I can ask the guy myself, really.”

The last thing he needed right now was the cook mocking him for using Usopp as a secretary. The blonde had some nerve to keep mocking the teen even when he wasn’t around. Zoro fought the urge to roll his eyes when he heard Sanji’s voice in the speaker.

“Yeah?” The cook didn’t really sound surprised. “What’s wrong, Usopp?”

“It’s me.” Zoro said quickly, turning around from Luffy and Usopp to at least get a  _ feeling  _ of privacy. He didn’t need anyone to watch him while talking to a certain swirly-browed idiot.

“Oh.” Was all he heard in response. For a short moment, neither of them spoke up and Zoro wondered if the other teen had hung up. “Well, why aren’t you Usopp?”

“...What?”

“That’s his phone number.” Sanji sounded somewhat between bored and annoyed. Just like he was explaining why the sun shone to a kid. “Don’t you have a phone on your own?”

“In case you wondered, I do.” Zoro snorted. “Even though I can’t remember having your number.”

“That figures.” He heard a satisfied note in Sanji’s voice. “It’s not like I give away my personal data to people I barely know. Well, so now that I know what’s going on, why the hell are you bothering me? I’ve got lectures to attend.”

Zoro clicked his tongue, not really knowing what to say. It was as simple as  _ I forgot my phone and don’t know what lecture I have now _ . Also, just as hard as that. Another moment of silence filled the air, the invisible pressure making Zoro’s chest feel heavy.

“I don’t have the lecture plan.” He spat out eventually, closing his eyes in a gesture of defeat. “Luffy and Usopp told me you can help.”

“Oh.” Another expansive answer. “So I get it you don’t know what’s on your schedule today?”

There was that silent note of superiority that made Zoro’s eyebrow twitch. He smirked, clenching his fingers around Usopp’s phone. It took him another deep breath to think things over, and not crush the device into tiny pieces.

“Yeah.” He finally said.

“So?”

The teen blinked.  _ Twice. _

“What do you mean,  _ so _ ?” He asked after a moment of silence, eyebrows going up.

“So, what does it have to do with me?” Sanji seemed to ask, but Zoro had a nagging feeling the guy was just fooling with him. “I don’t have forever to listen to you, mosshead, make it quick.”

“I’m…” He hesitated for a moment, sighing. “I’m asking you for help, dartbrow. Will you kindly tell me where I should head next?”

“Ah,  _ that’s  _ what you meant.” The blonde faked a surprised expression, but a muffled chuckle gave him away almost instantly. “Let’s say I have enough time for  _ just that _ . Alright, mosshead, just stay where you are, and for god’s sake,  _ don’t move. _ ”

Zoro opened his mouth, but before he had the chance to say anything, Sanji hung up.

* * *

No matter how good the blonde was at running or cooking, his directions weren’t worth two shits.

It definitely  _ wasn’t  _ Zoro’s fault he lost his way three times, mistook the door twice and almost tripped over a student before arriving at what seemed to be his destined lecture room. He cast a brief look around, examining other people standing around, leaning on the walls or chatting.

For a moment, he had doubts whether it was really his lecture - over half of the people wore glasses, most of them were holding books and cups of cheap coffee from the corner store. It wasn’t like Zoro was the type to judge a book by its cover, but there was a limit to everything. For some reason, he felt like the misfit of the century.

He suddenly remembered the smirk Sanji had when leading him here and vaguely wondered if the guy didn’t just pull some nasty prank on him.

It looked like he wasn’t the only one to find his presence there… well, at least a little strange. A couple of girls eyed him up, turning to their friends and chuckling slightly, and Zoro felt people’s gazes all around him. The teen brushed it off quickly, focusing on a point between two windows and hoping the lecture would start soon.

“ _ Classic literature,  _ huh?” He heard a familiar, soft voice behind, and turned around to see Nami’s intrigued look on him. “Didn’t really take you for the type. Was I mistaken?"

“I could say the same thing about you.” Zoro replied, looking at her closely. To the contrary of how she looked at the party, the girl was wearing a blouse that covered more than just her breasts and a jacket.

“Now, don’t say such things!” She grinned widely, patting him on his shoulder. “I’m actually a pretty smart girl, you know? Anyway… how did you find your way here? It’s the middle of the campus, and Luffy said you weren’t too good in finding your way… hey, isn’t this Usopp’s phone?” She asked, pointing at the device he was holding.

“Well, he let me use it to call someone who’d help me get there.” He said, trying to brush it off. “Unfortunately, it turned out he didn’t have your number. I guess things would be easier that way.”

“So, you called Sanji?” Nami asked, smiling smugly. “Right, I haven’t seen you guys since the party! Usopp told me that both of you were still pretty sober when he fell asleep, so who won?” 

Zoro blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what she meant.  _ Ah, right. The party. _

“I did.” He said after a short pause. “The dartbrow managed to carry you to bed, though.”

“Right, I woke up on the couch in the morning.” She hummed to herself, pressing a hand to her forehead. “Man, it was such a horrible day! Mornings like these surely are the worst…”

Zoro watched her get lost in her thoughts for a moment, trying to pluck up the courage to ask the question that was nagging him the whole time. Nami seemed to have noticed it, because after a moment he noticed her hand waving right in front of his nose.

“Earth to Zoro!” She called, giving him a worried look. “What’s wrong?”

“...Nothing.” He replied after a moment. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Huh?” Nami raised her eyebrows, visibly a little surprised by his sudden confession. “Sure, what is it?”

“...So, I asked Sanji if you two were a couple the other day.” Zoro began, but stopped immediately when he noticed the girl’s curiosity and enthusiasm fade. “I mean, you two seem pretty close, but he… huh… wasn’t too keen on telling me anything. Is it a touchy issue for him?”  _ Idiot, of course it is. _

Nami didn’t reply at first, letting uncomfortable silence fall between. Zoro looked away, searching for a way out of the situation, when suddenly the girl burst out with laughter. He cocked an eyebrow, unsure how to react.

“Oh, Zoro!” She said, muffling a giggle. “I’m sorry. Of course Sanji and I aren’t together! He acts like that towards all women, you know?”

“Are you sure?” Zoro asked. “I really thought that-”

“Okay, Zoro, stop.” She said, pressing a finger to his mouth, still smiling. “I swear that there’s nothing non-platonic about Sanji and me. We talked about it several times, trust me.” She paused for a moment. “You know why he’s such a great friend? There’s one thing about Sanji that I really worship.  _ He doesn’t lie. _ ”

Zoro opened his mouth, but before he got the chance to ask a question, the sound of the bell ringing tore the air. Nami turned around.

“Oh, it’s so late already!” She said. “Well, it was really nice talking to you, Zoro, but try not to distract me during the lecture, alright?” She winked at him. “See you after class!”

“Right.” He only nodded, hiding Usopp’s phone in his bag. 

_ Sanji doesn’t lie _ , he repeated in his head. Was that why he was so uncomfortable and cold back then? Zoro was genuinely surprised by Nami’s sudden confession, but it only confirmed him in his thoughts. 

There was something between those two. Something more than friendship, but now he was also sure it wasn’t love. He was kind of intrigued by how curious he was about it. He didn’t usually care about people so much, they came and went by. 

In the end, they left nothing behind, so why would he actually care?

* * *

“Classic literature, huh?” Zoro didn’t have to turn around to know that Sanji was looking at him, probably with a smirk. “Just who the hell are you, mosshead?”

“You’ve got a problem?” He snapped back, clenching his teeth. He had no idea what those guys thought about him, but judging from their amusement - apparently caused by attending the lectures he did - nothing too good.

I wasn’t like he  _ chose  _ that specific course, either. He never really cared much about school. But, if he signed up, Koshiro promised to cover all the costs,  _ and _ the dorm was free for students living outside the city,  _ and _ it was close to the stadium.

And so, Zoro ended up attending lectures he couldn’t care less about, for some reason becoming a source of amusement to his friends.  _ Friends.  _ The word echoed in his head for a good moment. Did he really just call them  _ friends _ ? 

Luffy was an overenthusiastic, grinning junior, Usopp - a long-nosed guy known widely for lying and making about two-thirds of his stories up as he spoke, Nami was a walking loan shark, even though she could be nice at times, and Franky was… well,  _ Franky _ .

Sanji, on the other hand, was one walking mystery. On one hand, Zoro didn’t really like him. Whenever they crossed paths, the guy seemed to have found yet one another ridiculous name to call him, or a way to pick a fight. The air around him reeked of unnamed hostility towards the teen.

On the other hand, Zoro had already felt that way, and it reminded him of Kuina really much. The atmosphere between them, the constant fighting, but at the same time never doing it for real. Sanji and he acted like  _ siblings. _

With one tiny problem being Zoro’s idiotic, stupid heart. He couldn’t really explain it. Every time he saw the blonde, he wanted to stay with him a little longer, to talk, to hear him laugh again. It was stupid. And unfortunately for Zoro, it was real.

“Do I have a problem? Not at all.” Sanji’s voice stopped his train of thoughts, bringing him back to reality. “I was pretty surprised at first, you know, but, well… fine. If that’s what you’re into…” The blonde cocked an eyebrow, smirking.

“Sanji, Zoro!” Nami’s voice made it through the crowd flooding from the lecture room. “There you are.”

“Nami, dear.” Sanji greeted her with a smile. “You look amazing today! How was your lecture?”

“It was alright, although it’s not my favourite class to attend in the morning.” She sighed slightly, looking at Zoro. “But Zoro seemed to have it worse than me.”

“Oh, did he?” A blue eye trailed to the other teen. “Could it be, you’re not as interested in classic literature as I thought?”

“Shut up.” Zoro said, huffing. “And get lost already.”

“All right, stop it, you two.” Nami interrupted them, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and turning her attention to Sanji. “Your next lecture is in the other building, right? You should probably head there if you don’t want to be late.”

“Of course.” Sanji said, bowing slightly in front of her and turning to Zoro. “See you later, pile of moss. Don’t forget about today’s practice in the afternoon.”

“I won’t.” He muttered slowly, watching the blonde leave.

* * *

Zoro panted heavily, leaning on the nearest wall and trying to catch his breath.

He was absolutely  _ exhausted _ . In none of the places he’d trained in before had the very first practice been so hard. It didn’t matter how much Brook talked to him about  _ testing his limits so they could know where to start at _ , Zoro knew. The coach was a goddamn sadist.

“Wow, Zoro!” He heard Luffy’s excited voice right next to his ear. “You were so cool today! Brook was really impressed, he told me he’s got really high hopes for you!”

“Good to hear.” Zoro spat out between sharp breaths. “Next time you meet him, tell him he’s gonna kill me the next time he tries something like that.”

“You’re really funny when you’re tired, Zoro.” The raven-haired boy smiled widely at him, picking up his bag and water bottle. “I won’t be able to walk you home today, my brother asked me to help him with some family business. Are you okay with that?"

“I live in the dorm, remember? It’s, like, five minutes by foot.” The other teen narrowed his eyes subtly. “I know how to get there.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Luffy nodded, but one look at his face was enough to tell how far he was from  _ convinced.  _ “If you say so. Well, see you tomorrow!”

“Right.” Zoro waved him goodbye, turning back to the wall and concentrating on regaining his breath. Soon, he could hear footsteps closing in his direction, and he didn’t even bother raising his head.

“Want something, dartbrow?” He asked, closing his eyes and straightening up. Sanji stopped a few away from him, only standing there with hands tucked in the pockets of his tracksuit.

“Are you hungry?” He asked eventually. Zoro didn’t even try to hide how surprised he was, cocking an eyebrow and eyeing the guy up.

“Of course I am.” He said. “I’ve spent the last two hours running in circles without food. It’s enough to make anyone hungry, don’t you think?”

“Who knows? I thought you had it covered with photosynthesis or some shit.” The corner of the blonde’s lips went up. “Anyway, you can come over to my place, I was going to do some experimental stuff anyway and need someone to eat it."

“What do you mean?” Zoro frowned slightly, confused.

“Oh, right, I haven’t told you.” Sanji smirked slightly, running a hand through his hair. “I’m actually a chef. Usually, Luffy helps me out with that kind of stuff, but he’s busy tonight, so I thought you could be of some use.”

“I don’t think that’s the best moment to get me in your place.” He shook his head. “I’m all sweaty.”

“That figures, shitty mosshead.” The blonde rolled his eyes, sighing slightly. “You’re a late teenager after an intense practice.”

Zoro mimicked the action, trying to give the bastard the idea that this was  _ not  _ how he imagined spending an evening in his apartment or whatever he lived in. So what if the guy was a chef, he had his own food at home. Like… some instant ramen cups... or a protein shake.

“All right.” He said with a sigh. “Lead the way if you want it so badly, shitty cook.”

“Shitty  _ chef  _ if you please.” Sanji retorted with a victorious smirk. “Come on, I don’t have all day to wait here for you.”

Zoro honestly had mixed feelings about all of this. On one hand,  _ yes _ , he was starving, and  _ yes _ , it was nice of the blonde to invite him to come over, but on the other, he wasn’t in his best shape, spreading the smell of sweat for at least a few feet radius, and it genuinely almost felt as though the guy was taking him over out of pity.

He hated pity. But also, he hated walking around with an empty stomach.

“So?” Sanji asked, tearing him out of his thoughts while they were walking down the street. “Is there anything you specifically like? Anything you’re allergic to? Any dislikes?”

“Well, first of all, I don’t think I’m allergic to anything.” Zoro said, thinking. “I like rice, and meat. Anything that goes with booze really. What I don’t like… chocolate, sweets in general. They’re too… sweet.”

“Alright.” Sanji nodded his head slowly. “I’ll prepare you something quick when we get to my apartment so you don’t die of starvation, and then I’ll try something more sophisticated. Never mind, how was your practice?”

“You saw how it was.” Zoro huffed, leaning his head back and looking at the sky. “Brook is one hell of a sadist.”

“He’s not that bad after a while, trust me.” The blonde grinned mischievously. “He likes athletes who have a strong spirit. Endure the first two weeks, and trust me, he’s going to be the best coach ever.”

“Two weeks, huh?” He echoed. “It’s not a matter of  _ enduring  _ it, cook. I’m more concerned about whether I  _ survive. _ ”

“Of course you will.” Sanji laughed.  _ Again, _ with that honest smile Zoro urged to hear more. “He’s already got a liking to you. No wonder, all coaches like those who are talented and like to train hard.”

_ Talented, huh.  _ Zoro wondered for a while. The blonde would mock him all the time about his sense of direction or his hair or literally anything that came to his mind, but he’d never said a bad word about his running. Quite the opposite, every time the issue came up, Zoro had a feeling like the guy was  _ complimenting  _ him in some hidden, unclear way.

It was honestly a little quirky. Another thing on the  _ why-is-Sanji-like-that  _ list.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty.” The blonde’s voice brought him back to reality. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Not really.” Zoro said, almost automatically. “It’s hard to stay interested in your blabbing for a long time, honestly.”

“Such a quick wit.” Sanji retorted, crossing his arms. “In case you wondered, I was asking about your first day at Grand Line. You know, your new school in case you forgot.”

“You, too?” Zoro held back a sigh. “It was like any other day, with the exception that I had you and Nami babysit me in the break time. Nothing unusual, really?”

“What’s with the lack of enthusiasm, huh?” The blond raised an eyebrow. “I always reckoned switching one’s place of residence as quite exciting.”

“Then you were wrong.” He didn’t even try to sound empathically, to be honest. “People come and disappear, you know? Everything’s temporary. There’s nothing to be so  _ excited  _ about.”

“Oh, so you’re a dedicated pessimist.” The blonde reached to his pocket and took out a cigarette, putting it inside his mouth and lighting it up.

“And you have to be a great optimist to keep smoking like a chimney and hope for good results in running.” Zoro retorted, slightly annoyed. “Have you ever even moved, to call me a pessimist?”

“Maybe I have.” Sanji said, giving Zoro a weak smirk that didn’t really reach his eyes and puffing out a cloud of smoke. “But not really since I was a kid…. oh, we’re here.”

Zoro looked at the direction the blonde pointed with his cigarette, and raised his eyebrows slightly. On the contrary of what he imagined, the place looked like any other block of flats they’ve passed on their way here. For some reason, it didn’t really fit the blonde’s image for him.

“What, expected a two-floor villa?” Sanji said with an amused smirk. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Oh, think twice before you decide to open your mouth next time, will you?” Zoro almost sighed, shaking his head. “Just get inside, I’m done admiring it from the outside.”

The blonde only chuckled in response, searching through his bag for a moment before taking out the keys and walking towards the door. Zoro followed him quietly, looking around carefully, trying to remember as much as he could of the neighbourhood and surrounding area.

Fuck it if his sense of direction was terrible. That one place, he was going to remember.

* * *

“So, may I welcome you, shitty mosshead, to my place.” Sanji said in a theatrical manner, pushing the door handle and opening the door. Zoro stepped in, looking around the narrow hall. It was very neat and clean, everything seemed to be just in place. Suspiciously too tidied up for someone in their second year of college.

“You don’t have to take your shoes off if you don’t want to.” Said the blonde, passing him by and hanging his coat beside a full-length mirror. “I haven’t cleaned here in some time.”

_ Sure _ , Zoro thought, leaning down to untie the laces of his trainer,  _ the whole place is spotless if you missed to notice. _

“Where we’re standing now is the hall.” Sanji said, inviting him inside with a gesture of his hand. “Further on, you have the bathroom, the light switch is on the left, the main room, bedroom - we’re not going there, and on the left is the kitchen.” He turned around and gave Zoro a wide smile. “That’s where we’ll be spending most of our time today.”

“Sure.” Zoro looked around, trying to remember where was what, and thoughtlessly followed the cook to his kingdom.

It was rather big for a room in a block of flats. Something told Zoro the cook intentionally chose the biggest area for the kitchen. The walls were all covered in black tiles, nicely contrasting with white cupboards and graphite countertops. And just as in the case of the hall, everything was  _ perfectly  _ in order.

“So, this is the kitchen.” Sanji said unceremoniously, moving around the room and walking straight into a huge refrigerator, opening it with one swift move. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to do whatever you like, but try not to destroy anything.”

Zoro only huffed, turning around and walking out of the room. Although it was loath to admit it, he was curious about the place where the cook lived. 

When he was younger, Koshiro once told him that a person’s house was a mirror of their soul. He also used it as a great argument to convince Zoro to keep his room clean.

Just as he expected, the main room was smaller than the kitchen. Not very significantly, but enough for any guest to notice. Apart from that, it looked pretty modern and minimalistic - there wasn’t really much furniture safe for a big couch, coffee table, a wide tv hanging on one of the walls, a bookcase and a comfy-looking armchair. 

Without thinking much, Zoro sat in it, sighing slightly when the fabric almost drowned him in.  _ God, where did people get such comfortable armchairs from? _

His eyes wandered around the walls and stopped on a small gallery of photos hanging next to the television. Zoro gave them a closer look. Most of them showed people dressed in aprons and white caps, who Zoro assumed to be chefs, maybe Sanji’s coworkers. There was one old man with a ridiculously long, white hat, too.

In another couple of photographs Zoro could spot Luffy and the others, most of them from athletic meetings. Even Brook and Robin made it to one of them. But what intrigued Zoro the most was another frame.

That one was empty. Usually, he’d probably think someone just forgot to put one of their photos inside, or didn’t have the idea what to put inside yet. But not Sanji. Everything in that apartment seemed to have its place.

“Having fun snooping around my stuff?” Zoro almost jolted when he heard Sanji’s voice only mere inches behind his back. “Good to know you like it here.”

“It was you who told me to get lost.” He retorted, raising an eyebrow. “All I did was obey.”

“The food’s ready.” The blonde turned around, leading him back to the kitchen. “As you know, I had little to no time to actually come up with something edible for your growling stomach…”

But as soon as the smell of food hit Zoro’s nose, he left the cook’s words behind. His eyes went straight to the plate, stopping on a bunch of rice rolls surrounded by omelet-ish stripes of dough. The aroma drilled through his nose, making his mouth water in a matter of seconds.

“What is it?” Zoro asked, walking closer and inspecting the food. “You made sushi?”

“And prawns in tempura.” Added Sanji, visibly amused by his reaction. “What, never seen them?”

“I wasn’t raised in a basement, you know.” Zoro snapped back. “It’s just that… I’ve never really eaten sushi before.”

“You  _ what now _ ?” The blonde didn’t even try to hide his astonishment. “Come on, you had to try it at least once as a kid. Don’t fool with me now.”

“I’m telling the truth.” He shook his head, sitting at the table and looking closely at the dish in front of him. There were eight rolls, each one different from the other, a small bottle of brown liquid, some green paste and pink flakes around.

“This…” The cook said, pointing at the bottle. “Is soy sauce. You pour it over sushi or dip the rolls in it, I don’t really care since we’re not in a restaurant. It makes the food salty. The green paste is wasabi, it’s a little spicy. The pink one is ginger. You can combine them however you want. I’m going to prepare some more stuff I’d like you to try in the meantime.”

Zoro leaned over the plate, once more inhaling the heavenly scent and melting in the chair.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed the cook smirk to himself, but it wasn’t important. Zoro quickly picked up one of the steamy rolls with a pair of chopsticks and dipped it in soy sauce until the rice was completely soaked in it.

“Well then,” He said, more to himself than Sanji honestly, while putting the sushi piece inside his mouth. “Here comes nothing.”

The effect was almost instant. The food melted on his tongue, sending paralyzing signals all over his body. For a moment, Zoro felt like his mind was overloaded with the sensation of pleasure coming from his taste buds. Everything about that roll was perfectly harmonized.

The idea of people having food orgasms never really spoke to Zoro. Now he knew, it was all only a question of the person standing in the kitchen. He barely held back a pleasured moan after swallowing the food, the taste still alive on his tongue.

“Next time you eat someone’s food, it’s  _ bon appetit,  _ not  _ here goes nothing _ .” He heard Sanji’s voice bring him back to the apartment.

It took him another three seconds to fully come back to senses.

“No doubt, dartbrow, you can cook.” He said, wiping his mouth and reaching for another roll, this time fully prepared for what was coming his way. Or so he thought.

“A student’s diet must really be tough if you like these so much.” Sanji sighed slightly, walking past the table and heading for the cupboards. “Take your time, mosshead. I’ll try out some things in the meantime.”

Zoro only nodded, following the blonde with his eyes as he swallowed another piece of sushi and grabbed a prawn with his chopsticks. The guy acted so nonchalantly, as though he had all of that delicious food for nothing. Moving around the countertops and cupboard like a shadow, kitchen utensils glimpsing in his hands one after another.

It felt a little like watching an artist perform their craft. Everything about the cook’s moves, his gestures, actions, it all looked so effortlessly. Zoro saw blue eyes shine under the curtain of golden hair several times, absolutely consumed by what the blonde was doing, not able to take his eyes off him.

“Is there a problem with the food?” Sanji asked eventually, turning around and giving Zoro a look he couldn’t quite interpret.

“Excuse me?” He raised his eyebrows, surprised by the sudden question.

“I asked if there was something wrong with the food.” The cook repeated. “I can feel your eyes on me when I’m cooking. I was wondering why didn’t you direct all this attention to the food. It’s not to your liking?”

“No, the food’s edible.” Zoro shook his head, feeling heat rush to his face. He had to get out of this situation somehow. “I was just wondering what’s with all the dancing around the whole room. Practicing ballet?”

“You wish.” The cook huffed, although he didn’t really seem offended. “In case you never cooked anything, I can’t prepare a meal with my feet glued to the floor. Now, if you please, finish your dish and let me think in peace.”

“Oh, so you’re actually  _ thinking  _ while doing all of that?” Zoro smirked mischievously, cocking an eyebrow.

“You know, sometimes it happens to people. They  _ think _ .” Sanji retorted, narrowing his eyes “Honestly, it’s a little disheartening that it only came to you now, especially given that you’re going to be my tester today.”

“I don’t think I should remind you who invited whom here.” The other teen said, taking the last piece of sushi and swallowing it down, urging not to let the cook know just how much he liked it. “Well, I guess it must be hard being a chef and being unable to cook with an audience.”

“Only if the audience has ridiculously green hair and smells of sweat.”

“I told you that was going to happen.”

“You’re right.” Sanji chuckled, smiling widely and turning back to the cooking. “Now, tell me, what does a pile of moss eat for breakfast anyway?”

* * *

That was it. Zoro’s limit.

He was positive that for the next week, he didn’t really have to eat. Another thing, if it wasn’t the shitty cook’s food, which he simply couldn’t imagine getting enough of, the contents of his stomach would probably go all the way back a long time ago.

“And here I was, thinking only Luffy could empty half of my fridge in one go.” He heard Sanji sigh as he leaned on the counter, putting the last plate in the dishwasher and closing it. “You’re welcome anyway, don’t mind it.”

“He doesn’t really look like the type who eats a lot.” Zoro held back a yawn, all that food made him want to take a nap.

“Trust me, this guy’s a walking vacuum.” The blond threw his hands in the air, stretching out and taking a deep breath. “Oh Lord, cooking can be tiring sometimes.”

Not even once during the process had Zoro seen a trace of exhaustion in the cook’s posture or the way he moved or spoke to him, but now when the place was cleaned up, the blonde was slightly crooked and his eyelids looked really heavy.

“I should probably head back to my place.” He said, getting up. “And probably get some groceries along the way. I don’t think I’ve got anything edible left in my fridge.”

“Alright.” Sanji nodded slightly, walking past him and taking his coat off the hanger. “Let’s go.”

“ _ We? _ ” Zoro asked, frowning slightly. “I don’t need a babysitter today, thanks. My phone’s charged.”

“Which doesn’t mean I can’t go with you.” The cook didn’t seem to care about the protests coming his way. “In case you haven’t noticed yet, a better part of my food is now making itself comfortable in your stomach, so some shopping wouldn’t hurt me. Plus, I don’t trust you with getting out of the neighborhood on your own.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Zoro snorted, but didn’t object any further. After all, who wouldn’t like a chef’s company when buying groceries? Even if the said cook’s eyebrow is ridiculously curly and he’s got a foul mouth.

First thing he noticed when they stepped out of the block of flats, it was already dark outside. Not that he didn’t expect it, after all it was already fall and days were getting shorter and shorter, but it was  _ pitch black _ . He quickly checked the time on his phone.

“Hey, cook. It’s a little late for grocery shopping, don’t you think?” He asked, turning around to the blond. “It’s the middle of the fucking night.”

“Is it really?” Sanji raised his eyebrows. “I’m sorry, I often lose track of time completely when cooking. There’s no need to worry, though, there’s a nice shop I know, which should still be open.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Zoro shook his head. “I’ve got lectures in, like, six hours.”

“Oh? Oh _... _ ” The blonde frowned slightly, probably only then realising the real problem. “ _ Oh.  _ Right, you’re absolutely right. Getting to the shop would take us… plus shopping itself…  _ plus  _ getting back to your place…” He stopped for a moment. “We’ll get there in two hours. Given you can get a bus ride home.”

“Two- You’ve got to be kidding me.” Zoro didn’t even try to hide how surprised he was. “I’m going to be a walking corpse in the morning. Besides, I don’t think there aren’t any courses to the dorm so late.”

“That puts you in quite the trouble, doesn’t it?” Sanji sighed deeply. “Alright, I’ve got an idea, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can stay over at my place for the night.”

“No.” Zoro shook his head firmly. “I have lectures tomorrow, and I haven’t brought any clothes or anything with me. I’ve got  _ nothing _ , you know.”

“That figures.” Sanji said, blinking a couple of times. “I think I could lend you something, though. I’m pretty sure I’ve got some oversized clothes that would fit you. Plus, I’ve got a couple of extra toothbrushes for unexpected guests.”

Zoro frowned slightly, thinking things over. He really didn’t want to spend the night in the cook’s apartment, given that his visit there wasn’t really planned. Moreover, he wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep either way. And he could always postpone the grocery shopping to the next day.

_ But,  _ if he did that, he wouldn’t really have anything for breakfast. And it still would take him some time to get back to his home on foot.  _ Damn it. _

“Just come on already.” Sanji said, turning around and putting his hand on the handle. “I can still make enough food for both of us in the morning, so don’t worry about it.”

_ Breakfast. Made by the shitty cook. _ Zoro gave it a second thought. And a third.  _ And  _ a fourth.

“Alright.” He said eventually, raising his hands in surrender and following the blonde back into the block of flats. “But you better not regret it later, swirly brows.”

* * *

“Here you go.” Sanji said, handing him a green toothbrush and a matching towel. “Here’s hot water, here’s cold, try not to use it all up on yourself. The door locks this way, and here you can leave your things so they don’t get wet.”

“I’ve got it, cook.” Zoro looked around at the blue-tiled walls, pretending not to pay attention to the blonde explaining to him how the room worked. Then his eyes went down to the toothbrush he was holding. 

His name was already on it, written with a waterproof marker Sanji pulled out from one of the cabinets earlier, where Zoro noticed several others, one of them signed  _ Luffy _ . So, the blonde was probably used to unexpected guests staying over night, or he just liked people’s names on tooth-cleaning tools.

Once the door closed, Zoro quickly stripped down and let the warm water flood over his skin, spreading a nice feeling all around his body. His thoughts went back to the cook, the way cooking consumed him whole, how his eyes sparked when he threw another mysterious spice into the boiling water or how smoothly he sliced through the ingredients.

Zoro spent a lot of time of his life watching people fight with swords. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the cook’s grip on his knives was somehow similar to the way he used to grab his katana during practice. With the control the blonde had over his utensils… he could make a good kendo master, and for some reason the thought really disturbed him.

Once he finally stepped out of the shower and slid on a pair of boxers the cook  _ was kind enough to lend him _ , Zoro left the bathroom, closing the door shut behind him. A good thing Sanji and him were similar height and body shape, even though the blonde was noticeably slimmer.

Luckily, they managed to find an oversized hoodie and a pair of trousers that would fit Zoro. He looked at himself in the mirror, bending his arms and trying a few squats to make sure he wouldn’t damage the clothes when moving around.

“Alright, that should do it.” Sanji said, eyeing him up. “You don’t look like a clown, and I’m pretty sure you won’t damage any of these. A good thing you at least had your shoes on.”

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded. “I’d probably break a toe trying to fit in yours.”

“More like your feet are way too wide.” The blonde smirked, turning around. “Alright, I prepared some sheets for you in the main room. You’ll sleep on the couch, you can pull the blinds if the sun disturbs you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Okay then, try not to get lost on your way there, mosshead.” Sanji smiled mischievously, leaving the room and heading to the bathroom. 

Zoro only huffed in response, making his way to the main room. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he floated away, not caring to pull the goddamn blinds. He was waking up in a couple of hours anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to update this weekly, guys. But trust me on this, editing this is hell.   
> (Too bad I'm _so_ excited about posting another chapter. Hope you're also enjoying it <3)


	3. An evening to remember

“Wake up, sleeping beauty!”

Zoro’s eyes shot open wide in shock as the cook shouted into his ear. He jolted, immediately sitting up and looking at the blonde with raised eyebrows. Sanji’s hair was a mess and he had clearly also just woken up, eyes half-closed.

“What the hell was that about?” The teen asked, still a little shocked by the sudden wake-up.

“The sun’s shining, princess.” The cook huffed. “I’ve been trying to wake you up for a good five minutes now. You think you’ve got time to sleep so long? The lectures are starting in half an hour.”

“What?!” Zoro almost jumped out of bed, looking around widely and running a hand through his hair. “Why is it so late?”

“Because, apparently, you thought there’s some kind of service to wake you up here and I overslept.” The cook crossed his arms. “Get dressed and come to the kitchen, breakfast’s ready.”

The rest of the morning was all a blur to Zoro. He remembered getting into the bathroom and changing his clothes, then grabbing one of the sandwiches the cook prepared for breakfast and leaving the apartment in a flash. The cook kept talking about how he should have  _ at least  _ set an alarm clock, to which he always retorted with a simple  _ well, I didn’t _ .

Surprisingly, despite all his talking and cold looks in Zoro’s direction, Sanji didn’t really look like he was really mad at his guest. More like really pissed off by the situation, for which Zoro couldn’t really blame him. It was only when they somehow managed to catch the bus when they both let out deep sighs, relaxing.

“I didn’t think we were going to make it.” The cook leaned his head on the glass, closing his eyes. “Good thing the bus was late.”

“And I ran to the stop to catch it.” Zoro reminded him, putting another sandwich in his mouth and slowly swallowing it. “Too bad we didn’t really get the chance to get some coffee, I’m still not fully awake.”

“Well, whatever people say, proper nutrition is more important than caffeine.” Sanji sighed. “But yes, I’d also rather have a cup of coffee before storming out and running here. At least we’ve got the sandwiches and some lunch scraps I managed to make.”

“Wait, you found time to prepare  _ lunch _ ?” Zoro raised his eyebrows.

“Of course.” The blonde nodded, showing Zoro his bag. “For Nami, myself… and you, since you were at my mercy anyway.”

“Don’t forget I could still choose sleeping on the street rather than staying at your place.” He snorted, crossing his arms. The blonde only chuckled in response, turning his head away to look at the streets they were passing. After a moment, he turned back to Zoro with widened eyes.

“Fuck.” He muttered. “This isn’t where we should be heading.”

“What do you mean?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.

“We got on the wrong bus, idiot!”

“ _ We _ ? It was  _ you  _ who told me to catch a bus!”

“Not  _ any  _ bus, moss-for-brains!” Sanji said through gritted teeth, but calmed down quickly and sighed. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. We’ll just have to get out at the next stop.”

“And then?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow. “Catch another one?”

“No.” Sanji shook his head, looking at him with a challenging spark in his eyes. “We’re going to  _ run _ .”

* * *

As days passed by, Zoro noticed he was slowly feeling more comfortable around the group of weirdos he was doomed to. Perhaps it was because not only did he meet most of those guys at school every day, but also during practices a couple of times a week. Which was actually a good thing. 

He even started to get a grip of Luffy meant by saying something was  _ cool. _

One thing that seemed to stay constant the whole time, was the relationship between him and the cook. Naturally, Zoro knew way more about the guy than he did before, but they didn’t really stop mocking one another every now and then, but it didn’t really look like it bothered either of them. 

To Zoro, it felt like having a sibling living a few bus stops away. A very annoying, long-legged, mouthy, unbelievably-well-cooking, _ gorgeous  _ sibling.

_ Gorgeous.  _ That was right, every now and then when he looked at the guy, the thought about how well the blonde looked crossed Zoro’s mind, and he felt the urge to take one of Sanji’s knives and stab it through his throat for even  _ thinking  _ the guy was attractive when he wasn’t drunk.

Not only because  _ he  _ didn’t want to get into a relationship with the cook, but the dartbrow was everything  _ but  _ interested in men.

Not only did he treat women - and Zoro had seen quite a few hang around with him at school, some whispering about the blonde when he passed him in the hallway - with special courtesy, he also seemed quite hostile when it came to guys, especially those who looked at Nami for a few seconds too long for his liking.

At first, it kind of bothered Zoro. And in some ways, it still did. The division of people based on their gender. Everything about it was annoying. But Zoro quickly realised it was just how the cook was. He never confronted him about it, though. Maybe with enough alcohol, he would, but otherwise it wasn’t really his business, was it?

The practices with Brook were also getting better and better. He wasn’t now dying at the end of every practice, and even managed to get used to the strange  _ yohohoho  _ thing about the coach, which he still had difficulties with calling  _ laughter _ . Maybe because it was so fucking bizarre.

He actually  _ tried  _ asking the others about it.

“Huh? Brook’s  _ yohoho _ ?” Luffy once said when Zoro asked him. “Of course he’s laughing, why are you asking?”

“ _ Yohoho? _ ” Usopp thought about it for a moment. “Well, he’s done it even before I joined according to the others, so I guess we just assumed it was the way he giggled. He’s a really joyful person, after all…”

“Ah, you mean the way he laughs?” Nami asked after a moment of silence.

“Huh… Brook can be superrr weird sometimes when he does this, but coaches are always crrreepy when they laugh.” Franky shrugged slightly.

“Oh, yeah, it’s just how Brook is.” Sanji replied nonchalantly, cocking an eyebrow. “I thought it’d be pretty obvious for someone with a quirk just as ridiculous. And yes, I mean the pile of moss on your head.”

It seemed like no one really saw that as really unusual after all the time they’ve spent training with the tall, bony man. Zoro assumed he’d also stop paying attention to it with time, but what surprised him was that no one really spoke about the coach in a bad way. It happened all the time with young athletes, grumbling about their tutors, but not on Thousand Sunny.

The club was a little different than Zoro imagined it when joining. First of all, there weren’t really many members given the coach’s great reputation, and there was no… how could he put it… atmosphere of rivalry. It honestly came as a surprise to Zoro.

Of course, he’d made acquaintances with people from his former clubs, some of them he even liked, but there was always this thin wall separating him from the others. Some unnamed hostility, which grew stronger during contests. On one hand, the adrenaline rush that accompanied it was something Zoro really liked, sometimes even needed to get rid of frustration.

On the other, it never really felt like he could open up to those people. After all, when standing on track, they were enemies.

Even though he still hadn’t really taken part in an athletic meeting since he transferred to Grand Line, it felt different on Thousand Sunny. The feeling of rivalry just  _ wasn’t there.  _ And the club members hung out together all the time. They were more like a family than a club actually.

And on track, Zoro saw them as  _ fighters.  _ Not  _ hostiles _ .

“Alright, yohohoho!” Brook announced, walking to the group after one of the practices. “The season is moving on, and so should we! Up until now, you’ve run shorter distances to wake your organisms up and warm you up for the proper challenges. Now, it’s time to finally test yourselves in  _ your  _ events.” He looked around, a spark in his eyes.

“Next week, we’ll go to the prefecture’s qualification meeting.” Robin announced with a small smile. “Luffy, Usopp, Zoro plus Nami and me as coaches. I think you all know what you’re going to participate in, right?”

“Yay! Finally a meeting!” Luffy threw his fists in the air. Zoro frowned slightly, pointing his head at Nami.

“Is she a coach?” He asked.

“Me?” Nami smiled widely. “Of course not, I don’t have the papers! But I’m the team manager. Who do you think handles the schedules, photo relations and marketing for our club, huh?”

“Nami always goes with us to contests.” Usopp nodded his head, crossing his arms. “She’s a good moral support, you know?”

“Is she?” Zoro shot him a quick look. He still had difficulties with putting  _ Nami  _ and  _ moral support  _ together.

“Okay,  _ yohoho _ , attention now!” Brook clapped his hands, trying to get everyone’s attention. “I’m pretty sure you all know we’re going there to get qualifications for the prefecture championships. To get in, you need to run under or jump longer than specific minimums. However…” He raised a bony finger, a smirk running through his face. “I’m pretty sure that’s not going to be a problem for either of you.”

“It won’t?” Usopp raised his eyebrows, a wide grin spreading all over his face. “Really?!”

“Right now, I think every one of you is well-prepared and in good shape.” The coach nodded slightly, looking at Zoro from behind his sunglasses. “That’s precisely why I’m going to ask you to do your absolute best there.”

“Eeh?” All previous traces of Luffy’s enthusiasm were now slowly fading. “But it’s going to be tiring! Can’t we just do the minimum and get back home?”

“That’s out of the question,  _ yohohoho _ .” Brook… well, chuckled. “First of all, I want to check your current capabilities to know what to work on before the prefecture championships. You know how the qualification goes right?”

Seeing their empty looks, the coach sighed subtly.

“Alright, listen closely.” He said leaning in. “Every event will be precisely ten participants. The champion and vice-champion of each prefecture - so East, West, North and South will qualify directly. But apart from that, two best performances in the whole country overall. Clear now?”

A quiet  _ yohohoho _ followed a short series of nods.

“The second reason why I’d like you to try extra hard.” The coach raised a bony finger. “Your start in the prefectures is going to depend on your result from meetings. This doesn’t really go to Luffy, but Usopp and Zoro, I’d very much like to see you in the first, strongest run.”

“Alright!” Usopp crossed his arms, putting on a confident face. “We’ll do it! We’ll get to the prefecture championship’s first run! Right, Zoro?”

“Of course we will.” Zoro said, smirking. “After all, we’re not stopping on the prefecture, are we?”

“That’s the spirit!” Brook smiled, nodding slightly. “As you all probably know, this year we’re bringing home some medals from the nationals, too. Treat the winter prefecture championships as a step to get there.”

“As for Sanji and Franky…” Robin turned to the remaining two. “You’re going to a meeting two days later. We tried to find a meeting with all the events happening, but the only ones were really late, coach Brook and I didn’t want to risk it and make you exhausted before the main event. The others also won’t be able to come to root for you, because it’s a regular lecture day.”

“That’s fine with me.” Sanji said, nodding slightly.

“We’re going to do a superrr job there anyway!” Franky half-shouted, throwing his fists in the air.

“Okay, everyone, now that the theoretical part is over…” Brook spoke up, leaning over them. “I have really high hopes in all of you. I’m confident you can achieve a lot if you train hard. Treat those meetings as a warm-up. We’re going to work extra hard for the following weeks, but I’ll try to have you in the best possible shape for the championships. That’s all, you’re dismissed for today!”

“Aye, sir!” Shouted Luffy and Usopp, saluting. Zoro only shook his head, reaching for his things. Those two always did that when Brook ended their practice.

Usually, he’d most probably feel some kind of pressure on him after hearing that the coach has faith in him. It was always the same, trying to carry the weight of someone’s hopes. Zoro  _ hated  _ it. But with Brook, it was different. He was more like a grandfather, it wasn’t about  _ having  _ to satisfy him with the results. It was about  _ wanting  _ to do it.

“Hey, Zoro!” Luffy said enthusiastically, tugging at his sleeve. “You don’t want to stand here the whole day, do you? Usopp and I are going out to eat tonight, want to come with us?”

“Sure.” Zoro nodded, thinking about the wan contents of his fridge. Every now and then he went shopping for groceries, but his supplies seemed to shrink at an unusually quick pace. Perhaps because of Luffy’s visits every now and then. 

He didn’t believe the cook when he first referred to the raven-haired boy as a walking vacuum. Well, now that he’d already had the guy at his place a couple of times, he did.

“Great!” Luffy exclaimed. “We’re going to eat at Baratie tonight. You haven’t been there before, have you?”

“Not really.” Zoro shook his head slightly, trying to recall the restaurant in his mind. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever come across the place honestly.”

“That’s right, it’s quite far from the university and dorm.” Usopp nodded, lost in his thoughts. A small smile slowly made its way on his face. “Well then, you’re surely in for a surprise. The food there is really good.”

“Yeah, and expensive.” Luffy said, and both of them sighed at the same time. “Well, but we’ve got it covered so it’s not a problem really.”

“You do?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow. Luffy and Usopp were the last people who came into his mind with the term of  _ having things covered _ . “Well then, see you later I guess?”

He gave the whole thing a second thought.  _ Luffy and Usopp. Inviting him to join them at dinner at an expensive restaurant. _

There  _ had  _ to be a catch somewhere. Even though, there was probably only one way to find out what was so odd about the situation.

“Yeah, I’ll text you later when and where to meet.” Usopp said, waving his hand. “Try to wear something semi-fancy. Not that Luffy and I care, but some of the customers can look at you weirdly if you show up in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.” He looked meaningfully at Luffy.

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault!” The raven-haired boy protested. “It’s not like there was a statute that said you  _ had  _ to wear something.”

“Right, right.” The long-nose shook his head, raising his hands in surrender. “Well, anyway, we’ll see each other later, right? I have to go now, I’m on my bike today.”

"Later.” Zoro said, waving his friends goodbye.

_ Friends.  _ The more time he spent around those guys, the more frequently did the word pop into his head from nowhere. He tried not to think about it too much - after all, he had what, four years left with them? Maybe less if he decided it wasn’t really a place for him. 

Making friends was just another thing on the  _ useless-things-to-do-when-you’re-constantly-moving  _ list. 

* * *

“Hurry up, Zoro!” Luffy said, frowning slightly and clapping his hands. “We’re going to be late if you’re going to slack off like that!”

“I was  _ not  _ slacking off.” Snorted Zoro, checking the time on his phone. “It’s just that the clues you gave me to get here were tricky.”

“Alright, calm down, guys.” Usopp sighed, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. “We’re going to make it in time if you don’t waste any more time standing there and arguing about how terrible Zoro’s sense of direction is.”

Zoro didn’t retort to what could only feel like a prick in the nose, rolling his eyes and following the long-nose in a quick pace. The buildings around didn’t seem familiar, so he doubted they were anywhere close to Usopp’s or the shitty cook’s places. He’d at least have a feeling he’d been there before.

“Oh man, I can’t wait to finally get something to eat!” Luffy exclaimed impatiently, turning to Usopp. “What do you think we should get today?”

“You know it depends.” Usopp let out a heavy sigh. “I just hope they’ll let us go easy this time.”

It really piqued Zoro’s curiosity. He had his thoughts before, mostly on  _ why the hell would Luffy and Usopp invite him to a fancy restaurant  _ or  _ why were they so hyped up for the Baratie. _ As far as he was concerned, the place was expensive and full of snobs.

“Now, here we are Zoro!” He heard Luffy’s voice call his name and looked up, raising his eyebrows.

There were many words he’d use to describe the restaurant, but both  _ fancy  _ and  _ elegant  _ were thrown deep into the trash can. To be honest, the building looked like it had its years already, and there was a ridiculously huge fish head figure sticking out of the wall.

“Now, doesn’t it look  _ cool _ ?” Usopp asked, smirking widely. “What do you think?”

“It… surely stands out.” Zoro admitted slowly, thinking about who the hell thought pale mint elevation and a simple-looking construction were  _ cool.  _ Even though he'd already learned that there were  _ way  _ too many definitions of the goddamn word.

“Right? Right?” Luffy’s eyes sparkled. “We’re finally here, Usopp! I’m starving.”

“You almost make it sound like we’ve gone through hell and back to get here.” The long-nose sighed deeply. “It was just a couple of bus stops and a walk, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just get inside.” The raven-haired boy grinned widely at both of them, pulling at the door handle and stepping inside.

Zoro had to admit, first impressions could be deceiving.

To the contrary of the Baratie’s external appearance, it really looked  _ fancy  _ on the inside. Lots of round tables with silver candlesticks and cutlery, snow-white tablecloths which reached the floor, dark colors dominating on the walls and flooring, giving off a cozy, pleasant vibe.

“Yay, yay!” Luffy sniffed the air a couple of times, his eyes sparkling. “I can already smell the food! Let’s get to our table, Usopp.”

“Right.” The long-nose nodded vividly, turning back to Zoro. “Come on, Zoro. You don’t want to get lost in a restaurant, now do you?”

“I’m not sure why, but I’m getting the impression you’re looking for trouble today, now are you?” Zoro retorted, cocking an eyebrow. Usopp only chuckled nervously, turning around on his heel and quickly following Luffy.

The so-called  _ our table  _ was, in fact, a little less elegant than the other tables, and it didn’t escape Zoro’s attention. There was no fancy, long tablecloth, and he was pretty sure the cutlery was way less sophisticated than at other tables. Not that it disturbed him much. The food was what really mattered in a restaurant, after all.

It wasn’t long before someone from the staff showed up eventually.

“Welcome to the Baratie, the shitty restaurant.” Zoro didn’t have to turn around to recognise the voice right behind him. “Thank you for eating at our shitty table for hungry people, we’re short on staff today. Oh, isn’t it a new face you’ve brought with you?”

“Indeed.” He turned to face the blonde with a sly smirk. “I’d never have thought places like these hire such shitty cooks for waiters.”

“Oh…” Sanji narrowed his eyes, mimicking his expression. “I see your courtesy is just on point with people your stomach depends on.”

“Hey, Sanji!” Luffy greeted the cook, grinning widely. “What are you going to cook us tonight?”

“Cook, huh?” Zoro’s smirk widened slightly. “So you actually get to touch the pots.”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” The blonde raised his chin up, giving him a challenging look. “Surprised, mosshead?”

“Alright, Sanji, Zoro. Calm down you guys.” Usopp interrupted them. “We’re here to eat, not turn the place into splinters.”

“You guys never stop fighting, do you?” Luffy chuckled gleefully. “It’s really funny.”

“Usopp’s right.” Sanji said quickly, turning around on his heel. “I’ve got other customers to take care of. I’ll bring you something in a while, try not to ruin the whole place while I’m gone.”

Zoro trailed the cook - long and slim as a shadow - gracefully maneuvering between the tables and the customers, with a slight smile on his face and sparking eyes. One look at the blonde was enough to tell just how much he was in his element, spinning across the room, giving people food,  _ cooking  _ it for them.

“Hey, Usopp.” He said eventually, piquing the long-nose’s attention. “The cook mentioned earlier that he was a chef here. Why is he running around the tables then?”

“Ah, it’s a little complicated.” Usopp rubbed the back of his neck, smiling slightly. “The chefs here are really… well, unique people, that’s why they’re a little short on staff every now and then. The cooks take turns as waiters when there’s not enough hands to help.”

“Really?” Zoro’s eyebrows went up. “I thought this kind of place would have more than enough people to work. Like, the tips are usually quite large in expensive restaurants, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, technically it’s the truth.” The long-nose nodded slightly. “But, you know, people with weak nerves don’t usually stay here for too long. And the head chef is currently away in business, so there’s no one to recruit new employees.”

“Technically, it should be Sanji who’s in charge of things now, right?” Luffy interrupted him, cocking his head. “He’s the sous-chef here, after all.”

_ The sous-chef? Really? _

“And how the hell is our dartbrow the boss’ right hand?” Zoro asked, eyebrows going up. “I thought it wasn’t really a job for students.”

“Well, I don’t know all the details, but those two are really close.” Usopp said, pausing for a moment to think. “I heard that the guy running his place, Zeff, really helped Sanji out when he moved here.”

“And when was that exactly?” Zoro felt curiosity rise inside him. There were so many things about the cook that piqued his interest, and with every day, every answer he got only resulted in more question marks.

“Well, I don’t really know.” The long-nose admitted, shrugging slightly. “He was already there when I transferred to high school. And that was a couple of years ago.”

“Yeah, Sanji had to live here even before he went to high school.” Luffy added, with a pensive expression on his face. “I wonder what brought him here, though…”

“You’re sure he wasn’t just born here?” Zoro asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You know, if he’s really been living here for  _ so  _ long.”

“No, that’s out of the question.” Luffy shook his head firmly, looking at Zoro as though he’d just said something  _ really  _ stupid. “You didn’t notice, Zoro?”

“Sanji uses some phrases and acts in ways typical for people from the North prefecture.” Usopp explained, crossing his arms. “Robin also said that his family was probably a major powerhouse there given his behavior and language.”

To Zoro’s surprise, after all this time spent around those people, the fact that the cook probably came from a loaded family from the opposite side of the country didn’t surprise him nearly as much as it should. Well, the only question was  _ why was the dartbrow working in a restaurant instead of chilling on a family island or some shit. _

“We were also a little surprised when he told us he came from the North, though.” Luffy mimicked Usopp’s gesture, frowning slightly. “But well, if that’s what he says, it’s probably the truth.”

“Well, it’s not like he talks a lot about himself either.” The long-nose sighed. “You know, Luffy and I have known Sanji for years, but he never really told us much about himself or his life before moving here.”

“There’s a lot of other things we know about him, though!” Luffy nodded vividly. “Like that he’s  _ really  _ afraid of spiders-”

“And I assume you are already done talking about me behind my back?”

The three of them jolted in their seats when they heard Sanji’s voice, quickly turning their heads towards him. The blonde was standing right next to the table, almost leaning over it while balancing three large plates and a tray full of drinks on his arms. Zoro couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows when the cook managed to put all of that on the table without spilling a drop.

“I’m sorry, but that’s all you’re going to get today.” Sanji said, picking up drinks from the tray and putting them next to each of the plates. “The whole place is really busy tonight.”

“You’re kidding, right, Sanji?” Luffy said, a wide grin spreading across his face. “There’s already a lot of great food here! I can’t wait to eat it!”

“Then don’t wait here until it gets cold and put it in your mouth already.” The cook suggested, putting the empty tray under his arm and watching the raven-haired boy’s eyes lighten up. Then, he turned to Usopp and Zoro. “You too, fools. I didn’t go through the trouble of making all this food so that you can watch it all go to waste.”

“Right.” The long-nose nodded vividly, taking a fork and digging it into the plate’s contents. Zoro followed him, exchanging looks with the cook.

“I thought you were quite busy tonight.” He said, smirking viciously. “I had no idea we were so important you’ll have to look at us eating.”

“Don’t think so highly of yourself.” The blonde’s retort was almost instant. “I’m just making sure you three don’t turn our emergency employee table into splinters.”

“ _ Emergency employee table _ ?” Zoro echoed, raising his eyebrows and giving Usopp a puzzled look.

“Oh, they haven’t told you anything?” Sanji sounded suspiciously amused, a smile craving onto his lips. “You’re sitting at the table for people who can’t afford our food and are hungry. Completely free of charge.” The blonde’s teeth flashed when he grinned even wider, looking at Zoro with a  _ you-don’t-know-what-you-signed-up-for-now-do-you  _ expression.

Zoro’s gaze at Usopp suddenly became more intense. The long-nose smiled apologisingly, putting the fork in his mouth and slowly swallowing the food.

Judging by how amused the cook sounded, Zoro figured he was soon going to have to fight the urge to do something very,  _ very  _ bad to either Luffy, Usopp, or preferably both.

* * *

“ _ Free of charge,  _ my ass.” Zoro half-growled, glaring daggers at Usopp as soon as he noticed the enormous pile of dirty dishes and cutlery in front of them.

“Well, technically, we didn’t pay.” The long-nose tried to justify himself, cowering under the other teen’s gaze and turning to the dishes. “So it was free.”

“Usopp’s right!” Luffy nodded vividly. “That’s why I said we had it covered!”

“That’s your definition of  _ covered _ ?!”

“Now, gentlemen, calm down if you please.” Sanji said calmly, the amused smirk plastered to his face for good now. Zoro bet that the guy was barely holding back laughter while looking at them. “I don’t think any of us told you anything that wasn’t true, mosshead.”

“You also visibly forgot to mention we’d have to do  _ this _ .” Zoro reminded him in a bitter tone.

“Oh, but that’s how that table works.” The cook’s eyebrows went up as he raised his chin, giving him a look full of superiority. “Any hungry person can come to the Baratie and get served, but in return they help with cleaning up after the last customer leaves. In your case, it’s doing the dishes.”

“A deal with the devil, not  _ emergency _ .” Zoro snorted, eyeing up the pile in front of him. “There’s a whole fucking mountain of dishes in front of me, shitty cook.”

“That figures.” Sanji simply said, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it up. “Our food’s shitty good, so it’s natural we’re getting a lot of customers.”

“Alright, alright, let’s just get to work and get this done.” Luffy interrupted them, stepping forward and picking up a bottle of dish soap. “I don’t want to spend the rest of the night here.”

“Luffy’s right.” The cook pointed at the raven-haired boy with his cigarette. “You’re going to go far if you listen to him, mosshead.”

“I see the whole situation’s pretty much to your amusement.” Zoro replied sharply, following Luffy and Usopp by picking up a sponge and dipping it in water. The blonde smiled mischievously, taking a drag of the roll between his fingers and puffing out a cloud of smoke.

“You bet it is.” He said simply, taking a stool from the corner of the room and sitting on it. “But you know, the longer it takes you three to clean things up, the longer I’ll have to sit here and babysit you. And let me just mention that I don’t get paid for that.”

Zoro only huffed, fighting the urge to splash the bastard with some soapy water from the sink. The shitty cook was a completely different person when he got to know him better. At first, he just seemed like a mean, cocky, long-legged, mouthy person.

Well, technically,  _ that  _ aspect of him hadn’t really changed, even after those couple of weeks. There was definitely more depth to the blonde’s persona, though. On one hand, the guy seemed to take exceptional pleasure in teasing him, and if Zoro didn’t know better, he’d probably think Sanji just didn’t enjoy his company at all.

But he did. Like when they walked into one another in the university halls, or when Zoro hung around the cook’s place from time to time, mostly to  _ test out his new recipes _ . Which often resulted in him staying longer and talking with the cook about everything and nothing.

They actually had some things in common. Zoro found a line of connection between them during their practices. Brook liked to give them similar training plans,  _ yohoho _ ing in his own, weird manner when they raced, trying to beat the other for all costs.

Zoro was ambitious. Everyone who’d ever seen him run could tell. And it wasn’t like he was trying to hide it in any way. The strong will to achieve his goals, it was definitely something he took great pride in.

The cook was quite the opposite, to be honest. One would never tell how fierce he could get by looking at him. But Zoro now knew. The guy was willing to spit out his lungs in order to cross the finish line even a split of second before him. 

Good thing that Zoro was  _ exactly  _ the same.


	4. An argument

“Alright, I see everyone’s here.” Robin said with a slight smile, looking at the sheet of paper she was holding again. “I guess we should get going, then. Ideally, I’d like us to arrive at the place a little early. Any questions?”

“Only one.” Zoro frowned, pointing his head at the person standing beside him. “What is  _ he  _ doing here?”

“I  _ couldn’t _ miss out on watching you crawl to the finish line in agony, mosshead.” Sanji smirked mischievously, giving him a challenging look. “I’d never forgive myself if I did.”

“Sanji volunteered to come with us and help with the organisation." The coach explained, eyeing both of them up. “And also, as moral support.”

“ _ Moral support _ , huh?” Zoro echoed, raising his eyebrows and looking at the blonde. Sanji chuckled, leaning his head back.

“You have no idea how upbuilding my mere presence can be.” He said with a grin, passing him by and heading to the minibus parked near the stadium. Zoro shook his head - unsure if in disbelief or hopelessness - and followed the blonde.

Their destination wasn’t really far - the whole ride took a little less than two hours - but it was enough to make Zoro feel the excitement flowing through his veins along with the adrenaline. A nice, pleasant feeling spreading all across his body, making him hardly able to sit in place.

He used to be really stressed out during moments like these in the past, the feeling usually making his body feel heavy and unwilling to run. It went like that until he first took part in the prefecture championships for juniors. The atmosphere that he felt back then, it genuinely made him  _ want  _ to do his best. 

To show everyone what he was capable of.

Even though he wasn’t sure why things changed so rapidly after a single contest, it felt way better now. Of course, everyone felt at least  _ a little  _ nervous when standing on the start line and waiting for the gun to shoot, but it wasn’t fear anymore in Zoro’s case. It was pure excitement, radiating from him instead of devouring him from the inside.

* * *

“Hey, sleeping beauty, time to move your ass out of the comfy bus.” Sanji’s voice took him out of a semi-nap-like trance. He opened his eyes slowly, looking outside the window, the bright red tartan almost stinging his eyes.

In the world of backyard-meetings, such bright colours weren’t really common.

“It’s a new stadium, isn’t it?” It was honestly more of a statement than question. 

“Renovated.” The cook corrected him. “A year ago you wouldn’t recognise this place. I kind of miss the old design, though.”

“What was it like?”

“...It was fast.” the cook mused, ignoring the other teen’s puzzled look and stepping out of the bus. “Man, that was one exhausting trip.” He moaned, blinking a couple of times and stretching out. “Good thing we’re here already. Although I liked this place better before they installed those cheap plastic seats in the stands.”

“Well, they’re not called  _ stands  _ for nothing.” Zoro mused.

“Everyone, please don’t diverge for now.” Robin said, piquing the attention. “Coach Brook and I asked you to give us your sizes a couple of weeks ago, and so Nami and I would like to give you something.” She smiled slightly when the redhead appeared from inside the bus, carrying four paper bags and handing one to each of them.

Zoro looked inside, and his eyes shone as soon as he realised what was inside.

“We all know that this year’s special, so the coaches decided to get all of you brand new uniforms.” Nami said, her face lightened up by excitement. “Be sure to run in them today, I’m sure they’ll bring you good luck!”

“...Right.” Zoro nodded, taking out a T-shirt with Thousand Sunny’s logo and his start number, tracing the digit  _ 2  _ with his finger.

Something about having received such a gift pulled a melancholic string in him, which he wasn’t really sure he had up until then.  _ It’s just a goddamn piece of fabric _ , he reminded himself. There was nothing special about it.

“Zoro, don’t just stare at the T-shirt!” Luffy chuckled, going through the contents of his bag. “Look, there’s also a pair of shorts. And a whole tracksuit! Whoa, that’s so  _ cool _ ! Nami, look how great it is! Thank you, Robin!”

“Yeah, it’s really  _ cool. _ ” Zoro said quietly, also taking out the rest of things from his bag and looking at them in silent awe.

“They’re fantastic, Miss Robin.” Even the usually composed cook had a strange vibe to his voice. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Well, theoretically, you were supposed to receive yours the day after tomorrow.” Robin seemed unmoved by all the compliments, but a subtle smile on her face belied her. “But we decided that since you were going to be here anyway, it’d probably be better to do it now.”

“Okay, guys!” Nami clapped her hands. “I know you’re all excited about the gifts, but we didn’t come here for new clothes, did we? Luffy, Usopp - you guys need to start warming up in twenty minutes, be sure not to miss it.”

“Yassir!” Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically, saluting her and tugging at Usopp’s sleeve. “Come on, Usopp, let’s find some place to get changed. I can’t wait to test those new clothes out!”

“Zoro.” Nami called, tearing his attention from the raven-haired boy. ”You’re free for now, but listen carefully if there aren’t any changes in the schedule. Sanji, you’re responsible for him today, alright?”

“Everything for you, dear.” The blonde said, bowing slightly and turning to Zoro. “Come with me, mosshead, it’s time for some reconnaissance since you don’t have anything to do. Plus, it would be in a good tone to get changed since the ladies went through all the trouble of bringing those gifts along.”

“And why the hell am I condemned to you?” The other teen sighed slightly. “I thought I was finally going to get some time alone.”

“I take it that by  _ getting some time alone  _ you mean  _ wandering off the stadium and missing your run _ ?” The cook cocked an eyebrow, smirking. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I wouldn’t like to spend this time with Nami and Miss Robin. However, they insisted I didn’t leave you alone since it's technically your first athletic meeting since you joined us, isn’t it?”

Zoro rolled his eyes, feeling that the fight was already lost. Which didn’t go unnoticed by the cook, who gave him the victorious smile he always had when he knew he was right.

The whole object wasn’t really large, apart from the track there was only one small building for the referees, toilets and some covered stands for people cheering on the athletes. Which was why the  _ reconnaissance  _ suggested by the cook came down to a ten-minute walk around the stadium and getting changed in the new sorts.

“Ah, they can never get my size right.” Sanji sighed, rolling up the sleeves of his tracksuit. “Can’t complain about the aesthetics, though.”

“So there is a thing you  _ don’t  _ complain about.” Zoro teased him, looking at himself in the mirror. “Who would’ve thought?”

His set was also a little loose, but it was fine. That way he wouldn’t have to take the trousers off before putting spikes on. It was crucial to the warm-up, especially in fall and early spring. 

“Much appreciated, thanks.” The cook retorted, flattening the wrinkled fabric on his stomach and turning to the other teen. “You should probably start warming-up after Usopp’s run, the schedule here is completely messed up.”

“Right.” Zoro nodded. “Usually, 1500m is right after the 800m, isn’t it? I should already be ready and going into the track.”

“Yeah, but keep in mind that  _ usually _ , steeplechasing and javelin throw are also a thing at meetings.” Sanji shrugged slightly. “Well, it doesn’t really matter as long as you get the chance to run. Let’s go out, it’s really hot in here.”

“Yeah.” He followed the blonde outside the room, inhaling deeply when the chilly air made contact with them. “Way better.”

“Indeed.” Sanji passed him by, putting his hands on the track’s railing and staying like that for a moment. “We should probably keep walking, standing like that will just drain the heat from our bodies.”

“You think it would?” Zoro raised his eyebrows. “I never really thought about it.”

“It’s crucial to keep the warmth for as long as you can before the start.” The cook said, pointing his head at a couple of guys warming up in hoodies and shorts only. “Look at those guys, for example. What they’re doing is pointless. All the heat they gain from warming-up is lost immediately, and it costs them energy. It’s clear they don’t really know what they’re doing.”

“You’re implying they’re amateurs?” The other teen cocked an eyebrow. “I always thought the  _ less clothing during the warm-up, the faster the athlete _ .”

“I know you secretly wish it was a real thing.” Sanji smirked, shooting him a questioning look. Zoro chose to ignore it. “Also, I’m not  _ implying  _ anything. It’s an objective observation.”   


“Observation, huh?” Zoro teased the blonde, following him around the track. “You seem to know a lot about the  _ dos  _ and  _ don’ts  _ of athletics.”

“Everyone should know such simple things.” Sanji retorted, sighing. “Well, Judge - my producer - put emphasis on knowing the basics of warm-ups and regeneration after running. It’s hard not to notice the small things once you know about them.”

_ His producer _ . Zoro fought the urge to raise his eyebrows. Did the blonde just mention his father? Running through the memories from the previous two weeks, the teen noticed - not without surprise - that it was actually the first time he’d heard  _ anything  _ about the cook’s relatives.

“So, your… he’s also a coach?” He asked.

The blonde opened his mouth to answer, but closed it almost immediately, taking a moment to think about what to say.

“Well, I guess you could call him one, although he was more interested in developing new technology and equipment for big athletic companies than coaching per se.” He admitted eventually, looking up.

“So, he’s a kind of scientist, then?” Zoro pushed further, but he already knew from Usopp and Luffy how easy it was for the blonde to smoothly go from one topic to another.

“Something along those lines.” Sanji nodded slightly, biting his lower lip. “How about your family? You already told me about your coach, Koshiro, but nothing about your actual relatives or anyone at all.”

_ Sly as a fox _ , wasn’t he.

“Well, technically, Koshiro  _ is  _ my family.” The other teen said, recalling the image of his mentor. “I never really knew my biological parents. I’ve lived with him and… well, with him ever since I can remember.”

“I see.” The blonde hummed. “I’m sorry for asking, I was just curious.”

“It’s fine.” Zoro shook his head. “It’s not like I’m self-conscious about the fact that I don’t know the people who brought me to life. Koshiro has always been my father. Even though living with him wasn’t always easy.”

“You moved a lot, didn’t you?” Sanji hummed to himself. “Luffy and Usopp told me once. It must’ve been great, meeting new people and making friends from all across the prefecture. Why did you do that, though?”

_ Friends. _

“I didn’t really make any.” Zoro admitted.

“Pardon me?” The cook raised his eyebrows, looking genuinely surprised. The other teen cocked his head to the side, suddenly realising that  _ the guy wasn’t ironic at all. _

“Friends.” He explained quickly. “It’s easier to move on without getting attached to anyone, you know. In the end, everyone leaves you. Moving on is just another part of life. It doesn’t hurt as much when you don’t have anyone to leave behind. ”

A moment of silence passed, and for some reason Zoro felt as though he’d just said something either incredibly  _ deep _ or just-as-incredibly  _ dumb _ .

“Wait.” Sanji spoke up after a moment. “You’re telling me that for, what, ten or so years you’ve just been moving around all the prefecture and haven’t made  _ a single  _ friend?”

“I told you…” The other teen said slowly. “That there was no point.”

The cook narrowed his eyes subtly, turning them to the track the way Zoro couldn’t see his face.

“Tell me, then, mosshead...” He spoke up after a moment. “Why the hell are you still alive?”

“What?” Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow. “What the hell are you up to, shitty cook?”

“Why are you still alive?” The blonde repeated, his eyes hollow and trailing around the track. “You’re going to die anyway. What’s the point?”

“Don’t play with me like that.” The other teen interrupted him. It managed to keep the cook quiet for a while. “You know it’s a stupid question.”

“...If you think about it, there’s none.” Sanji continued eventually, hiding his hands in the pockets of his pants. “ _ Nothing  _ you do really matters, because you’re going to die in the end. So, what’s your reason not to kick the bucket?”

“What’s your point?” Zoro frowned.

“My  _ point _ , mosshead…” The vibe of Sanji’s voice suddenly changed to a lot darker and dense. “If you spend your whole life cowering in fear from getting hurt, If you keep pushing away every person wanting to get closer to you, what’s the point of living your life alone?”

Not giving the other teen a chance to interrupt, he continued.

“Of course farewells _hurt_ , idiot. And of course, moving on is the easiest way out. But let me tell you one thing. It’s _life_ that hurts. If you thought everything about the world was pink and pretty if you decided to become the world’s biggest asshole-”

“Stop.” Zoro interrupted him, feeling anger rise inside him.

Images of Kuina appeared in his head one after another. Her bright eyes, the cocky smirk she used to put on whenever he fell to the ground, defeated by her. The promise they made that day. The void she left inside him.

“Oh,” the blonde raised his eyebrows subtly, but it didn’t matter what he wanted to say. Zoro wasn’t going to let that bastard go and bitch about business he had no idea about. “So I managed to hit a sore spot, after all. Didn’t really think you had one.”

“You should probably think about what you say before you open that mouth of yours.” Zoro hissed. “You know  _ nothing  _ about how it feels to lose someone. About the pain, and how it leaves a hole you’re never going to fill again.  _ Nothing _ .”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt all the rage rising inside him fade away. Zoro breathed heavily, looking deeply into the cook’s eyes and waiting for him to say something. Silence fell between them, until the blonde let out a sigh.

_ A sigh _ . The teen expected the blonde to raise hell, shout, get mad, even  _ punch  _ him. But that? That silent resignation? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t what Zoro  _ wanted  _ to hear from the cook. And somehow, it turned all of his anger into uneasiness.

“I guess you’re right, mosshead.” Sanji said, his voice full of calmness Zoro knew was fake. “Maybe I really should think about what to say.” 

He stopped for a moment, turning his look to the track.

“Usopp’s run is starting in a moment. I should probably go to the other side of the stadium to cheer on him.” A blue eye trailed over the other teen’s silhouette, but Zoro couldn’t read anything from the look. “Don’t forget to warm up properly after his run, mosshead.”

Up until the moment Sanji’s silhouette left his sight, the teen kept following it with his eyes. He tried to calm his racing heart down. It was the worst possible moment for the bastard to open up the wound Kuina left behind. 

He had to focus. He had to do his best. It was no time to get distracted by the shitty cook.

* * *

It was obvious that something was wrong when he first saw Nami approach him in a quick stride with an unreadable face. Her eyes were slightly widened, as though she was running on adrenaline or shock. Zoro didn’t even get the chance to ask if everything was alright.

The next thing he knew, Nami was grabbing him by the collar and he felt a hard slap to the cheek, the unexpected action sending him back a few steps.

“What the  _ fuck  _ have you done?” She asked, her voice a little too shaky to be taken as a slightly nervous speech. “What did you say, Zoro? What happened?”

It took a few seconds for the words to fully register in Zoro’s brain. He raised his eyebrows slightly, not saying a word. Whatever happened, whatever this whole thing was about, Nami was absolutely shook up, and he was sure any moment now she’d either start crying or knock him unconscious.

“Sanji…” She said slowly, trying to regain control over her voice. “I know you two did something. I know he won’t tell me a word because he’s an idiot, but you’re going to confess. Here and now.”

“We’ve had an argument.” He said, putting his hands up. “ That’s all. That’s what people do sometimes, witch.”

“No, you didn’t  _ argue _ .” Nami shook her head, pulling him closer by the collar of his tracksuit. “If you did, then Sanji would be mad at you, and he’s fucking  _ terrified _ . What exactly did you say?”

Zoro’s eyebrows raised involuntarily, his mind desperately trying to catch up on what had just happened.  _ One,  _ Nami - the very same Nami who seemed to care about money more than anything - was quite visibly worried about the cook.  _ Two,  _ how the hell was the guy supposed to be  _ scared _ ? How?

“We talked a little about everything and nothing.” He explained with a sigh. “I tried to push him to say more about his family, but it somehow resulted in him trying to teach me about life. And then… I shouted at him. Said something really nasty.”

Somehow, saying it all out loud lifted a great weight from his arms. Like he’d just confessed something really terrible and received absolution. He held up Nami’s gaze, watching her turn her head away and choke down a curse.

“He told you about his family?” She asked slowly, locking her eyes back with him, this time filled more with anger than shock. “And then you… do you  _ ever  _ think before you say something?”

“What do you mean?” Zoro frowned slightly, a spark of irritation igniting inside him. “Of course I do. Look, it’s none of your business. The cook and I had an argument.  _ Period _ . There’s nothing to talk about. I’ll apologize to him later. Even if he had to send you here after running away with his tail between his legs-”

Nami’s eyes suddenly darkened as she clenched her teeth, yanking him by his collar and raising her hand for another hit. Zoro didn’t even try to avoid it, not breaking eye contact between them. But the expected slap never reached its aim. The girl clenched her fist tightly, letting her arm fall by her side.

“I wouldn’t hesitate if I knew you were doing that just to make me mad.” She said, clearly holding back from raising her voice, and finally letting go of him. “But chances are you’re just too blind to see.”

Zoro didn’t move or interrupt her, feeling the atmosphere between them tense. For some reason, his body felt as though it was made of iron, making him unable to raise a finger or run. It was the first time he’d ever felt so  _ vulnerable _ , the very first he legitimately wanted to cower under someone’s gaze.

To a weird mixture of his relief and surprisement, Nami didn’t take an advantage of his obviously defenseless state. Instead, she took a deep breath, her eyes softening a little as she seemed to calm down slightly.

“I know you lost someone dear to your heart, and that it was just your anger and helplessness speaking through you.” She said eventually, and Zoro’s eyes widened. “I’m not going to ask who or when or where. But you’re not the only person in the world who knows how it feels like, okay?”

He didn’t utter a word of comfort to her when he realised what she meant. He didn’t  _ dare  _ to. 

It almost felt like time stopped between the two of them. The voices of people cheering on the running athletes were no longer there, the nearby trees and track became an inconsistent blur. All he could do was stand there and listen to her voice.

“Now listen closely, because what you’re going to hear, you’ll only hear once in your lifetime.” Nami spoke quietly, her eyes drifting away. “I lost my mother when I was a child. Her boyfriend shot her right in front of me. He drank a lot, and had lots of dangerous friends. She wanted to run away from him, together with me and my sister.”

The image of Nami as a child, splattered in her mother’s blood, and a tall, swaying man holding a gun flashed through Zoro’s mind.

“After she died, the court called him innocent.” She continued. “I don’t know who he had to bribe or threaten, but he just got away with it. Nojiko, my sister, was lucky to get sent to a foster home. She was older than me. The judge assigned that man to be my legal guardian, you know? I’ve lived  _ five years _ under his custody.”

Zoro’s eyes widened.  _ No. _

“Some of his friends were drug dealers. Some were just gangsters. I used to hide in my room and cover my ears whenever I heard someone knock on the door. But as time passed by, I grew up. My body started changing. They…” 

Nami hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“They did a lot of horrible things to me, Zoro. To the point where I started finding suicide a convincing option. It terrified me. The only reason why I managed to get out of it was because I got really ill. He had to take me to the hospital. As soon as I was able to walk, I ran away from that place. Discarded his name, threw away everything I had and bought a ticket for the first train that would take me as far away from him as possible. That’s how I ended up in the Grand Line.”

Suddenly, all the weight that had just left Zoro was back, crushing his lungs and freezing the blood in his veins.

“When I left the train station, I was feverish. The medicines stopped working, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was dying. It was real.” Nami’s eyes locked with his again. “But I didn’t want to die. Not when I was so close to finally getting out of this hell. That’s when I visited the Baratie for the first time. I asked for a glass of water and a phone to call the nearest hospital. And that was when Sanji and I first met.”

The fish head figure appeared in Zoro’s mind. Images of Nami flashed in front of him again - a skinny, flushed woman, looking like a walking undead. He quickly discarded the thoughts, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine.

“I was a complete wreck back then.” The redhead continued, putting her hands in the pockets of her trousers. “But it was Sanji who took me out of his mess. He was always there to listen, and now Zoro, here’s what I want you to remember.”

She paused for a moment, giving him a cold look.

“Sanji is the  _ kindest  _ person you have, and will meet in your whole life. And he opened up in front of you today. Don’t you dare underestimate that  _ ever  _ again.”

His voice came out quieter than a whisper, for he couldn’t utter anything louder through his clenched throat. 

“...I won’t.” 

Nami’s look became a little colder.

“You want to know what he told me before I rushed here?” She asked, raising her chin subtly. “He told me to come here and talk to you. He said  _ I fucked up, Nami. Please, knock some sense into the idiot. He has to run his best today. _ ”

The words echoed in Zoro’s head, sinking deeply as he started to understand their meaning. Here it was again, the feeling of more and more questions popping up under his skull. He didn’t understand the situation at all. The way the cook reacted, how Nami spoke to him, it was beyond his comprehension. 

Those two, the connection between them made him feel strange. There was something undeniable about how Nami could communicate with the cook with the simplest words, and knew  _ exactly  _ what to do to make Zoro understand what she wanted to.

“You’re not the only person who has a weak spot, Zoro.” Nami said, with a note of sympathy in her voice. “And that’s what you get for pushing too far. I know you two will have to sort things out between yourselves later, but for now please focus on your run. This shouldn’t have happened on such a day.”

“Nami, I…” He choked out, crooking slightly and looking down. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“It’s not me you should apologise to, but I appreciate it.” Although Nami’s face remained out of his sight, he could hear her smile slightly. “But don’t forget what I told you earlier. Sanji  _ never  _ speaks about his family or life from before we met. Don’t waste it.”

“I won’t.” Zoro assured her quickly, clenching his fists.

He was such a fucking  _ idiot. _


	5. A run

The referee holding the gun called all of the contestants to the start line.

People standing outside the track and cheering on their friends probably saw a group of young, aspiring athletes who were now trying to do their best. From their faces, one could probably tell they were nervous. Some of them gave off an oddly calm vibe, some others radiated confidence.

But there was one runner who seemed different. _Odd._ At first glance, he looked calm, almost cold, but the aura around him made all the others tense up. Tall, muscled contestant lining up with the others, his dark eyes shining dangerously.

He looked like a _beast_.

* * *

Zoro took a deep breath, leaning forward slightly and preparing for the start. The world seemed to become a shapeless blur, all that he could see was the red tartan in front of him. The other athletes didn’t matter. The referee didn’t matter. He didn’t feel fear or excitement. 

Right then, everything Zoro could feel was wild _fury_ at himself.

As soon as the gunshot reached his ears, he took the first step forward. Then another. And another. Setting a quick pace, he made his way to the front of the group. Those guys running with him, they didn’t matter. He had to do his best. 

He had to make it hurt, to feel like he was dying after crossing the finish line, to lean over the track’s railing and puke his stomach out. To feel like utter shit he was. He _needed_ it.

It was just after he finished the first three hundred meters that he started having problems controlling his breath. Right, the battle between flesh and spirit has already begun. The slow, torturous agony that he was going to go through within the next couple of minutes. But it was fine, he was used to it. He had to push _harder_ . To suffer _more._

It felt as though he was slowly drowning in an abyss, all colors and sounds turning into nothing. That’s right, he was all alone. There was no one around to help him if he suddenly tripped or ran out of air.

The second lap went by and he suddenly picked up his pace. At that point, he could feel his muscles run out of steam, how his body was starting to give up. He was slowly starting to suffocate, every consecutive breath not bringing him enough of the air he needed. Instead, providing him the pain he urged to feel.

After crossing the finish line for the third time, he was already on the verge of his possibilities. He couldn’t feel his legs or arms anymore, his feet felt as though they were sinking into the tartan. Every breath made thousands of tiny knives dig deep into his lungs. He was losing the battle, his body suddenly shutting down a whole lap before the destination.

There was no one around him to help, to get him out of that dark, shapeless abyss slowly embracing and suffocating him, dragging him deeper and deeper. _Anyone, please…_

“Stop slacking off, you shitty bastard!”

A voice, too distant to recognise, made it through the shapeless mass around Zoro, echoing in his head. He turned in the direction of the sound, his eyes locking with the blue ones he knew way too well.

_Sanji._

“You hear me?! Run faster, mosshead! You can do it!’” The cook’s shouts, one after another, tore through the air, making the blur sharpen a little. Zoro’s eyes went back to the track, it was only three hundred meters to the finish line. _He could do it._

“Go, Zoro!” Another voice made it out to him. _Nami._

“Don’t give up, Zoro!” _Usopp._

“Come on! Faster!” _Luffy._

All of a sudden, all of Zoro’s senses were sharper. He could see, hear and _feel_ again. His eyes went to his friends, standing there and cheering on him, then to the tartan and his own hands moving in front of his eyes. He could hear their voices reaching out to him, making him want to take the next step even faster. Not to feel the pain, but for _them_.

Only half a lap left to go. His body was shut down by then, he couldn’t feel his limbs anymore, his lungs were on fire and it felt like he was dying. But he couldn’t. _Not yet._ Not when _they_ were putting their faith in him. He firmly pushed away the thought to slow down or stop, forcing his body to move _faster_ , _stronger_.

 _The homestretch._ The absolute favourite part of the race for spectators. Also, the absolute worst for the athletes.

Every inch of Zoro’s body was only moved due to his will, not the muscle strength. He desperately tried to move his hands forward, make every step a little longer, until the white line was under his feet and behind him. 

That was it. It was _finally_ over.

* * *

The rest of the day was all a blur to him. He remembered someone picking him up from the tartan and telling him to dress up before he could catch a cold. Someone else patted him on the shoulder. Someone smiled. And someone else helped him get on the bus when his legs were too weak to support him.

He remembered wanting to talk to the cook, to apologise to him. But in the end, he didn’t think he was able to pluck up the courage to do that. The whole situation didn’t make much sense. Zoro felt as though he’d pulled the wrong string but he didn’t know how or why it was the faulty one.

He probably slept through the whole way back home. Or maybe he didn’t, but nothing from that course stayed in his memory. One thing he knew for sure, he didn’t have to ask Robin about his result. 

No, seriously, he _didn’t_ have to ask about his run. 

It was easy to tell he did terribly. Foolishly trying to speed up halfway, it cost him dearly in the end. All of that because he couldn’t _think_ and _act_ like a normal person and had to let his self-destructive frustration go in the worst way possible.

Getting to the dorm from the bus wasn’t really difficult, given that the vehicle stopped right at the campus’ gate. Someone waved him goodbye. Someone else grinned. Someone promised to see him later. And someone walked away in silence, a dim trail of smoke following them.

Even though he probably should have done it as the first thing after locking the doors to his place, taking a shower seemed painfully draining, so he let it go. Eating, too. The thought alone made him feel sick. 

Perhaps that’s why he went straight to bed, caring only to get rid of the sweaty clothes he had on before falling into the sheets. His eyes closed immediately. He didn’t want to think, to laugh, to cry, to breathe. Everything he wanted was to wake up in the morning knowing what to do next.

 _Ha_ , good one.

* * *

It’s been two days since he’d last seen the cook, or anyone in particular. The previous day was a torture - even though he slept for good thirteen hours, he was still tired. It was normal, days after meetings or contests often looked that way, but this time there was also the feeling of hopelessness haunting him. 

He’d finally, _finally_ found people he wanted to share a bond with, to know them better, spend more time around them, even argue with them just to hear their laughter, and he fucked it all up. _Somehow._

And still, there he was. Knocking at the shitty cook’s door, not sure if anyone was going to answer.

He wasn’t sure what led him there. The cook was at his meeting with Franky earlier that day, plus he probably wouldn’t like to see Zoro of all people anyway. Still, some unnamed feeling made Zoro stay at the blonde’s door, not moving an inch, not breathing too loudly, just waiting. 

Slowly, seconds turned into minutes, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t him who was going to walk away that time.

_Click._

Zoro raised his head slowly, watching the door in front of him open reluctantly, the slim, long silhouette behind them slowly becoming unravelled. The cook was simply standing there for a moment, looking at him with tired, blue eyes and holding the door, as if considering shutting them right in front of Zoro’s nose.

“You surely aren’t going to give me a minute of peace, are you?” He forced a half-hearted smile, letting the other teen in and locking both of them inside the apartment. Before Zoro had the chance to take a step, the blonde spoke up again. “I’m so fucking sorry, mosshead.”

There was no irony in his voice. No mockery. Only some melancholic note Zoro couldn’t quite place. Guilt? Regret? Sadness?

“What the hell are you apologising for?” He asked, standing with his back facing the cook’s. It somehow made talking to Sanji easier. Zoro cursed himself for being such a coward.

“It’s because of me you messed up.” The blonde held back a sigh, and the other teen knew he was probably itching for a smoke. “I said some thoughtless things back then. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did it anyway. And it ruined everything.”

A moment of silence passed. Zoro didn’t really know what to say. He came there to tell the cook how much of a fucking idiot he was for shouting at him and saying all those dumb things. But now, when Sanji started apologising to him, it only made him feel like more of a jerk.

“Don’t say it.” He finally spoke up. “I was an idiot. I just tried to take my problems out on you, I’m terribly sorry. I was blind, I…” His voice was close to cracking, but he could manage it somehow. “...I didn’t think any of you knew the pain.”

Saying all those things out loud, he realised how stupid his thinking was. He still hadn’t fully come to himself after what Nami had told him back then. _Sanji is the kindest person you have, and will meet in your whole life._

“And now you do?” There was some kind of hesitation in the blonde’s voice. Zoro felt the tension between them rise. He knew. Whatever was going to happen next, it all depended on what he was going to say.

“...Yeah.” He spoke out eventually. “When Nami… she... she told me how you two met. I never would’ve thought… she’s such a cheerful person all the time.”

“She is, right?” Sanji sounded more like an echo than an actual person. Zoro heard the blonde turn around and take a step in his direction. “Even though she was hurt really badly, by many people.”

“Is that why you treat her the way you do?” He asked, images of Nami - vulnerable, curling in the corner of a room, crying - flashed in his head, haunting him _again_. “That’s why you’re always swirling around her?”

“Every lady should be treated exceptionally.” The cook spoke, passing by Zoro so that their eyes could finally meet. “But Nami has gone through what many women can’t even imagine. I won’t let anyone hurt her _ever_ again.”

“I know.” Zoro said, closing his eyes. “I know you won’t, cook.”

Another moment full of silence passed. The atmosphere around them tensed slowly, putting a weight on Zoro’s chest. On one hand, he desperately wanted to say something that would break that silence between them.

On the other, a part of him wished that moment lasted forever.

“You really came all the way here just to say sorry, didn’t you?” Sanji said eventually, eyeing him up. “I’m pretty impressed you didn’t get lost.”

“I couldn’t.” Zoro replied, feeling the air between them become clearer. “And I _don’t_ get lost as often as you think.”

“But of course you don’t.” The cook raised an eyebrow, a shade of a smile running through his face. “So, was it the perspective of free food that finally convinced whatever contents there are in your mossy head to put the track in one piece?”

“Perhaps.” The other teen mimicked the expression. The blonde’s smile widened slightly, his eyes lightening up.

“Well, since you used up all the remnants of your brain cells to find the way here, I could as well make something quick for you.” Sanji faked a sigh, heading to the kitchen. “But take your shoes off. I’ve just cleaned the whole place.”

Zoro followed the blonde with his eyes, a wide grin slowly making its way on his face. _Who the fuck cleaned their flat after returning from an athletic meeting?_

* * *

“Make yourself at home.” The cook said, leading him to the living room and putting two plated on the coffee table. “I was planning a movie night today, but I guess you can also sit here and watch if you don’t have anything more interesting to do.”

“Who makes movie nights alone?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow, taking his plate and slowly stuffing his mouth with the food, his taste buds instantly becoming assaulted by the overwhelming, rich flavours.

“In case you haven’t figured it out yourself, a person who enjoys watching movies and lives alone.” The blonde said, smirking. “Oh, I beg your pardon, you’d probably know if getting there didn’t drain your brain so much.”

“I see you still can’t accept the fact the way to your house is straight as a line.” Zoro snorted, leaning back and resting his back on the soft material of the couch.

“Point taken.” Sanji nodded, smiling slightly and reaching his hand for the remote. “Any films you’re interested in?”

“I thought it was _your_ movie night.”

“I am, but I have the heart not to torture my guests with romantic comedies, you’re very welcome.” The cook retorted ironically, surfing through the channels for a moment. “Say stop if you see anything that piques your attention, but I’m warning you, I can’t stand soap operas.”

“And what made you think I’d choose one?” Zoro raised his eyebrows, cursing himself for actually _looking for_ a soap opera’s name on the channel list. “Do I look like the type of guy who spends rainy afternoons watching _Corrie_?”

“Who knows? Everyone has their quirks.” The blonde replied mysteriously, leaning his head back and humming quietly. Zoro mimicked him, his eyes sliding through the numerous titles as the cook kept browsing through the channels.

“Then what’s yours?” He asked eventually, turning his head to look at Sanji, and for a moment he just enjoyed the calm atmosphere between the two of them.

The way the cook sat relaxed right next to him and discussed what movie to watch. How peaceful his posture and expression were. How he nonchalantly moved around the room whenever holding plates or glasses in his hands. The way he ran a hand through his hair whenever he realised he forgot to bring something from the kitchen.

Zoro’s heart skipped a beat, and he cursed it for betraying him. A part of him desperately wanted to capture that image and keep it in his memory forever.

“Mine?” The cook asked, not tearing his eyes from the screen. “Huh… oh, look. _The last samurai._ Something for you, isn’t it?”

“The fact that it has the word _samurai_ in the title doesn’t mean I have to like it, you know?”

“But you should at least give it a try. You haven’t watched it, right?” The blonde smirked slightly. “I know you didn’t. You don’t watch movies at all. But perhaps we’ll learn something from watching it. Like some cool moves or techniques.”

“Right.” Zoro chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “And then we’ll take sticks and fight one another.”

“I was actually pretty good at fighting with sticks when I was a kid, just so you know.” The blonde said nonchalantly, but Zoro noticed a cautious blue eye sliding over him. “Well, anyway, it’s not like there’s anything better for us to do. Here goes nothing.”

The movie itself wasn’t half-bad, Zoro had to admit. Although some of the details weren’t too realistic for him, like _those samurai would have killed the main character at the very beginning instead of taking him to their goddamn village or whatever it was_ , but overall it had a nice vibe to it. 

Not that he had the chance to share his enthusiasm with the cook. As soon as the first five minutes of the movie passed, the blonde was long asleep, his head hanging loosely, a blissful expression painted all across his face. 

It was only a moment. Zoro couldn’t tear his eyes from the sleeping cook, and something inside him clenched when his gaze slid to the blone’s lips, staying there for _just_ a little too long.

For that brief split of second, a thought crossed his mind. An image of how it would have felt to _kiss_ those lips with his own. It made his blood freeze instantly. 

He was fucked _._ He knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but now that the milk was already spillt, he somehow wished the cook didn’t forgive him for what happened two days ago. That he’d hate him, for one reason or another. But no, the blonde had to be a good person, and Zoro had to take advantage of that.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed the cook was attractive before. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about the blonde in more than a platonic way. But now when his idiotic mind decided that it wouldn’t be so bad to kiss the fool, Zoro knew.

He was _in love_ with Sanji. And for some reason, he hated himself for it.

* * *

“Now, the last couple of days surely were tough for all of us, _yohohoho_.” Brook half-chuckled, looking at the sheet of paper Robin gave him. “The good news, though, is that I’m really happy with how all of you performed.”

“We were superrr cool yesterday, weren’t we, Sanji-bro?” Franky grinned at the cook, who replied with the same. “Coach Brrrook, are there any official results already?”

“There indeed are, _yohoho_.” The bony man smiled widely, looking at Zoro, Luffy and Usopp. “And I’ve got good news for you three. All of you are officially qualified for the winter prefecture championships.”

“Really?!” Luffy’s eyes lit up, his teeth flashing in a smile so wide it shouldn’t really be humanly possible. “Usopp, you heard that?! We’re going to the prefecture championships!”

“Of course we are!” The long-nose tried to sound confident and collected, but the excitement literally leaked through his voice. “After all, I, the Great Captain Usopp, have led us to certain victory!”

“That’s so _cool_!” The raven-haired boy threw his hands in the air, whistling happily. “Are there any other news, coach Brook? How did Sanji and Franky do? Are they also in for the championships?”

“Indeed, Miss Nico has just given me the information that their official results have also arrived.” The coach nodded. “Both of them have qualified easily. Also, Sanji…” His eyes went to the blonde. “...it’s official now.”

“Really?” The cook’s eyebrows went up. Brook only nodded, smiling warmly.

“Eeh?” Luffy cocked his head slightly. “What’s going on, Sanji? Coach Brook?”

“I guess Sanji hasn’t bragged about it then.” The tall man sighed slightly, pausing for a moment. “Yesterday, he set a new prefecture record in the 2000m men’s steeplechase. We’ve just received the confirmation.”

“What?!” The raven-haired boy exclaimed, turning to Sanji. “You should’ve told us, Sanji! It’s absolutely amazing! You’re so _cool_!”

Zoro also smiled widely, unable to hold the grin. He was well aware that the cook was flawless in everything he did. That when he was running and clearing the obstacles, it always looked effortless, as though the blonde was flying over them. Watching him run his races was just like watching him cook - each time, Zoro felt as though he was watching an art performance.

But the coach was talking about a goddamn _prefecture record._ It wasn’t something that happened each year, and the old steeplechase’s best performance was known to be quite an old one. 

Looking up at the blonde, Zoro felt deep respect. Not only because the guy was fast, everyone could run fast and brag about it, but because of the person he remained to be even though the things he did. That he neither looked down on anyone nor fakely called his achievements _nothing._ It wasn’t as common in the world of athletics as one could think.

But most of all, Zoro admired the blonde for the kind of person he was. How he always made sure his friends ate well, how he watched over Nami no matter what, how he sneaked food out of the Baratie to feed stray cats or hungry children sitting outside, and how his eyes shone when he did what he loved.

“Alright, everyone.” Brook announced, his smile widening. “Prepare for harder practices from now on. We’re going to win those prefecture championships!”

“Yeah!” They all shouted in unison, Zoro’s eyes going back to the cook, and stopping on his smile.

Those were all only small details he noticed about Sanji, but every respective one only made him fall for the idiot even more. He knew that, at some point, it was going to cost him dearly. But screw what was going to happen. For now, if he could only hear the blonde laugh one more time, it was enough. His _friends_ were enough.

_END OF ARC ONE_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!  
> I've actually written this story in four super-short arcs (one for each of the seasons and a major running event), and this is the place where the first one finishes (it's original purpose was to introduce you to how the world works here and start some loose strings). The next arcs are going to be posted as parts of the series, just so you know. Hope you've enjoed the story so far!

**Author's Note:**

> Weekly updates on Wednesdays (yay!)  
> Comments/concrit welcome (yay!)


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